MONASTERIO DE SANTO ESPÍRITU
The monastery was founded by Maria de Luna, wife of Martin the Humane, following the pacification of Sicily. To this end, she received a donation of land from Jaumeta de Poblet, widow of Pere Guillem Català, lord of Gilet, who inherited the property together with his daughter Juana, confirming the donation of Pope Benedict XIII in 1403.
All the property that corresponded to the donation occupied the valley of Toliu. On occasions, it was also used for defensive work, as in the 16th century, when a tower was built next to the monastery to defend against pirate raids. King Fernando el Católico requested that the convent be handed over to the Trinitarians, granting Sister Isabel de Villena's wish, but this was not carried out and the monastery remained abandoned until 1491.
In 1679 it was handed over to Father Antonio Limaz to be converted into a mission school, with the Mallorcan Miguel Melchor Ferragut as its first guardian.
In 1692 the current church, the hermitage of the Virgen de los Desamparados, was inaugurated after several years of abandonment.
In 1813, the friars returned and, during the confiscation of church property, the extensive pine forests passed into the hands of the State. During the war of independence, the friars abandoned the convent, which became a field hospital. In 1835, the friars abandoned the convent, occupying it again in 1878 and declaring it a mission school for the Holy Land and Morocco in 1889 under the patronage of the Royal Crown.
After the break of the Civil War, it gained splendour with the attendance of a large number of novices, but it has now lost its status as a school.
A museum has now been set up with interesting works and documents, although it should be noted that today it is fundamentally a place of recreation and rest.
Location
Gilet
Altitude
83 m.
Year
s.XV
Category
Cultural heritage
PLACES OF INTEREST
Location
Gilet
Altitude
83 m.
Year
s.XV
Category
Cultural heritage
