What to do · Pollença and Cap de Formentor
Pollença's Calvari and its 365 steps
Information
- Price
- Free
- Duration
- 45 min
- Who it's for
- Anyone who can climb stairs
- With a dog
- On a lead
A stairway of 365 steps, one for each day of the year, climbs from the centre of Pollença between cypresses and fourteen crosses of about three metres, the stations of the Way of the Cross, to the Calvari oratory. At the top you have the most complete view of the town, with its rooftops and the bay beyond.
Five minutes from Plaça Major
The stairs begin on Carrer del Calvari, a five-minute walk from Plaça Major via Plaça dels Seglars. It is just another street in the town: there are no opening hours or entrance fee. With the climb, a stop at the top and the descent, allow three quarters of an hour. It is steps from start to finish: with a pushchair, a baby carrier is better. Most of the stairway was built between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.
The oratory and the fishermen's image
The oratory at the top dates from the end of the 18th century and took its present appearance in a thorough renovation in the 1960s. It holds a 14th-century sculptural group, Christ with the Virgin at his feet, which according to tradition was found by fishermen near Cala de Sant Vicenç. The town council does not publish opening hours for the oratory; ask at the tourist office in Plaça Major if you want to see inside.
When the hill belonged to the Templars
After the conquest of 1229, James I gave the Templars a large territory in the north of Mallorca for their help. They were almost feudal lords of Pollença: they collected taxes, held the parish of Nostra Senyora dels Àngels and administered justice. On this hill they put the gallows, in view of the whole town, and that is why it was first called Puig de les Forques. When Pope Clement V dissolved the order, in 1312, its property passed to the Hospitallers, the future Order of Malta.
The Good Friday Davallament
It is one of the best-known Holy Week events on the island. On that day a very valuable image of Christ is brought down from the Calvari and carried in procession down the stairway to the church of Nostra Senyora dels Àngels. All of it is done in silence, lit only by the brotherhoods' torches.
What time to climb
First thing or as evening falls, when the stairs are in shade and the sun is not punishing. You can go up with a dog, on a lead.
Tips
- Count the steps with the children There are 365: the game lasts the whole climb.
- Combine it with the market On Sundays, go straight down from the Calvari to the Plaça Major market.
- Sleep at the foot The Hotel Juma is on Plaça Major itself.
Frequently asked questions
How many steps does Pollença's Calvari have?
365, one for each day of the year, with fourteen crosses along the sides.
Is there an entrance fee?
No. The stairway is a street in the town.
What is the Davallament?
The Good Friday descent: the image of Christ comes down the stairway in procession, in silence and by torchlight.
Why was it called Puig de les Forques?
Because the Templars, lords of Pollença after 1229, set up the gallows there.
As a familyWith teenagersWith a dog
