Afterwards we took another bus trip; this time across the bay to Alcúdia and what another lovely surprise this turned out to be. As usual, we hadn’t done any research ahead of time and thought we were going to the other seaside beach area of Port d'Alcúdia and Platja d'Alcúdia, a 14 km / 8.7 mile long beach; anywhere would suffice rather than getting bounced around in the anchorage with all the weekend speedboat revellers out again. Instead, what we found was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the historic and well preserved Old Town of Alcúdia, pedestrianised and encircled by its 14th Century medieval walls, with narrow streets and centuries-old buildings, dating back to the 13th Century.
Research revealed that the area where Alcúdia is located has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, but it was the arrival of the Romans, after they captured the island of Mallorca in 123 BC, using the beaches of Alcúdia Bay, that founded the cities of Palma and Pollentia.
However, as Rome lost its position as the dominant power in the western Mediterranean, Pollentia was abandoned and left in ruins, while the remaining population created a new town, Pollença. The remains of the ancient Roman city can be seen just outside the medieval walls.
In 1298, a Moorish farmstead, known then by the Arabic name of “Alkudja” and located very close to the ancient city of Pollentia, was bought by King James II of Aragon, following which the new town, Alcúdia, was founded.
A church, a graveyard, a house for priests, and a town square were created in the same year. The construction of the wall was also initiated at that time and completed in 1362, all of which we could see during our wanderings around the Old Town. Apparently the city plan that was created at the time remains the same for Alcúdia today and you can almost walk around the entire Old Town along the walls.
Land was given up in 1302 by the King of Mallorca, James III, to build the present day church, “Iglesia de St. Jaume d'Alcúdia” (Church of St. James of Alcúdia), a neo-Gothic style construction, built into the town’s restored medieval walls and which also houses “Capilla del Sant Crist” (Chapel of St Crist), built between 1675 and 1697 to honour Sant Crist, a consequence of the increasing devotion that Alcúdia and the neighbouring villages felt for Saint Crist, following a miracle in the area. With droughts persisting, the locals decided to carry the image of Sant Crist in a procession from Alcúdia to the Cave of Sant Martí begging for water in their prayers. The image of Sant Crist started to sweat drops of blood and water on their return to the city. A notary recorded the event, as the image sweated for three days. That year, bountiful rain fell and the yields were plentiful. Since then, Alcúdia has celabrated this miracle every three years, on the 26th July with a religious procession that passes through the town.
The chapel consists of a central dome and four side chapels, along with the altarpiece, which is a spectacular work of baroque art. In the centre of the altarpiece is an image of Saint James, the patron saint of Alcúdia.
After strolling around the Old Town, we returned to the main square and enjoyed a coffee at one of the many small restaurants, before taking the bus back to Port de Pollença.
Back onboard, after stopping to purchase a few provisions, the bulk of which we were leaving until tomorrow, Roy fixed the hatch in the aft port cabin that just decided to break a little while ago then spent what was left of the day lounging around with Elaine.
