Iglesia Porciuncula

Iglesia Por....por....what?  Iglesia means 'church', but you probably already knew that.  Porciuncula (Por-see-oon-coo-luh) is also referred to as the Church of Crystal due to its 39 floor to ceiling stained glass windows.

It's not located in Palma proper but, oddly enough, in El Arenal just outside of Palma which is widely known as a wild-n-crazy beach partying community popular with the young German set.

Unlike most churches I've visited here in Mallorca, this one is not centuries old.  In fact, it was built between 1964 and 1968.  The property has a long history as a convent and school dating back to 1914.

To appreciate the details and intensity of some of these photos, I purposely posted large images.  Be sure to scroll left/right to see their entirety (especially if you're viewing this from a dinky I-phone....ahem!!).

Connected to the church is a museum, but not of religious content.  Instead, it focuses on the history of Palma...how it was settled and ultimately popularized by European tourists.  I'm not a big museum fan, but this one kept my interest by the artifacts they had on display from urns, to old typewriters, old guns, bicycles, photos, tools, etc.

It's smartly designed and laid out because you must go through the museum before you arrive inside the church.  The exhibits start from the oldest dates and guides you from room to room until modern times.

The entryway to the museum.  Cost 5 Euros.

A behemoth movie projector.  It must weigh a ton as it is solid iron and stands almost 6ft tall.

An all-wooden press of some sort with hand-carved 'screws'.

Stretching down the hallway is a display of trivia, memorabilia, and photos in chronological order, starting around 1800 to current day.  I was impressed they presented the snippets of info in several languages including English.

My favorite!!!
Nude beaches are very popular here in Spain.

Notice anything odd about the design of these bicycles?

Answer:  The pedals are attached to the front wheels versus on a sprocket with a chain leading to the back tires like today.  So, when you turn, your feet have to turn with the wheel!

Old pistolahs.

Pretty detailed, eh?   And, no, it's not macaroni glued on a vase!

Two large tables the size of sheets of plywood displayed coins from many countries.  In this blurry shot, you can see Tanzania (upper area) and USA!

There was much, much more to the entire museum, but I'm cutting to the chase here.

ENTER.....the CHURCH!!!

Don't ask me who is depicted here or what the scenes represent.  I don't know.  I just think they're purty.

Go back and look at the very first photo and you can see the reverse side of this from the outside of the church.

Fish swimming upstream on the floor....to spawn?

Looking up at the ceiling directly above the pulpit.

Believe it or not, the circle is all stain glass but I wasn't able to capture it due to the limitations of my camera settings.  So, I borrowed one from the interwebs (next photo after this).

This one's for you Ronnie!!!

A metal sculpture in the foyer.

Every time I get near a stage I feel the urge coming on....but I fought hard to keep myself from breaking out my inner Ethel Merman and belt out a few notes.  I was afraid I might shatter the glass!

Forestral Park....

As if the church weren't enough, Forestral Park is right across the parking lot. A huge parcel of land consisting of pine trees and open grass spaces. There, you can either participate in, or watch people climb around in the trees on precarious suspension bridges, ride a zip line, etc. It's all sort of an obstacle course to test your skills and challenge your dexterity, fears, and supposedly have fun while at it.

One of the suspension bridges you must traverse.

Zippity-do-dah on a Zip Line!!

That's how I spent my afternoon one sunny day in February near Palma...on the Isle of Mallorca...Balearic Islands...Spain...Europe...Earth.

Hasta la Proxima (until next time)!!!

Dano