Es Pla (El Llano), as its name indicates, is a plain that is located in the central area of the island of Mallorca. It was probably called that by elimination, because it is sandwiched between the two great mountain ranges of the island, Tramuntana and Levante. But it does not mean that it is free of some mountainous elevations that stand out precisely for the low general height of the terrain.
The names of the towns in Es Pla are not usually on the list of those sought by foreign tourists, dazzled by the place names of Tramuntana and the delicious coves that dot the coastline. However, they are among the most historic in Mallorca, and the locals hold them in high esteem, such as Sineu, which was the royal seat; or Algaida, where the cave where Ramon Llull meditated is located.
At slow paces and bathed in the aromas of farms and tilled fields, Porreres is another of those municipalities that define Es Pla. In its terminus is the Franciscan monastery of Monti-sion. It is easy to locate it visually, as it is crowning an orographic ridge that dominates the entire surrounding landscape.
Accessing the doors of the monastery is easy, a narrow, well-marked local road leads to it. Upon arrival, a viewpoint is offered to visitors – who can even see the sea – and a plaque gives a surprising fact: the access road was built in a single day and by popular initiative. Indeed, the majority of residents of Porreres got to work on a Sunday in January 1954 – a date not so distant – and with a pick and shovel they opened the road to facilitate the passage of vehicles. Until that moment the only way to reach the sanctuary was on foot or by horse.
Once you pass through the Monti-sion gate, this fact is certified, as there are some panels with newspaper clippings from the time in which the feat of the neighbors is reported. In a single day they cleared five kilometers, leveled them and left them ready so that the authorities could go up to bless the new access.
The feeling of peace that is acquired when entering the cloister is immediate. Invaded by this calm, the traveler may find it difficult to discern the most unique feature of the layout: it is a pentagonal patio, something very unusual. The center is paved, if there was the typical garden in which the monks grew their vegetables and medicinal plants, it disappeared long ago. Instead, the center is dominated by the well, the only source of drinking water in a high place like that.
Monti-sion is cited in some documents from the 13th century. However, the arrival of the monastic community is not recorded until 1551. The Calvary stations that serve for the Holy Week Stations of the Cross are dated four years earlier.
The visitor notices another originality in the cloister: there is a sundial placed on one of the roofs supported by the gallery of arches, and not on the façade of the church, as would be more common. Perhaps they did not want to detract from the temple’s magnificent Gothic rose window. Or it was simply for practical reasons, since the church faces west, while the clock faces south, with more hours of sunshine per day.
The oratory is always open, despite the loneliness of the place on weekdays. Although it is true that there is a restaurant attached that is usually the chosen place for weddings and other family celebrations. Inside the church, a marble Virgin presides over the nave. Note that there are parts of the mineral shiny and worn by the hands of believers, who have gone there for centuries to request divine help.
Porreres is well connected to Llucmajor (just 20 minutes on the Ma-5020 road) and Manacor (the same time on the Ma-15).
