In 2013 Mallorca will be celebrating an important anniversary: 300 years since the birth of Father Juníper Serra, whose teachings in the Americas have turned him into one of the most famous figures of local religious history.
he Associació d’Amics de Fray Juníper Serra, founded in 1955 and currently presided over by Bartomeu Bestard, carries out an essential role in the dissemination of the work of the apostle, who was born in Petra in 1713 and died in California (USA) in 1784.
At the request of this friends association, on 14 July, the Council of Mallorca approved the proposal for 2013 to be declared Juníper Serra Year.
The association, part of the Fundació Pare Serra, manages the Father Juníper Serra Museum and Study Centre, located in the religious figure’s birthplace.
Every year, this centre receives some three thousand visitors
A significant portion of which are American tourists, which gives an indication as to his role in Mallorca’s cultural circuits and his capacity to attract religious and cultural tourism to the island.
The museum building, designed in regional Mallorcan style under the guidance of the architect Gabriel Alomar, houses a healthy collection of painting, stamps, medals, sculptures, reliefs, engravings and photographs, for the most part contributed by private donors.
The association also oversees the conservation of Casa Pairal, the residence where the young apostle spent much of his childhood, which is found next to the museum.
His later formative years, meanwhile, were spent at the Franciscan San Bernadino Convent, founded in Petra in 1607. At age 36, the apostle left his home country for Veracruz, Mexico, to begin his missionary endeavours.
Visitas / Visits / Führungen nach Vereinbarung:
Calle Barracart alt 6 07520 Petra, Museo Fray Junipero Serra, Mallorca. Museo y centro de estudios Junípero Serra.
