After the court victory, the Hieronymites consider a religious, social or educational future for Santa Isabel

PalmaThe Federation of Monasteries of Hieronymite Nuns of Saint Paula is studying the future of the monastery of Santa Isabel de Palma and has made it clear that they will prioritize it being for religious use, if possible, to house a community of nuns. Among other options, they have pointed to the possibility of dedicating the convent to social or educational use, since Saint Jerome was dedicated to teaching Christian morality. In any case, the order of the Hieronymites is clear that the convent will not, under any circumstances, become a hotel, and they have pointed to this possibility as "unfounded rumor-mongering" from the time of Bishop Javier Salinas.

This future analysis comes after the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for cassation filed by the Diocese of Mallorca against the sentence of the Provincial Court which recognizes that the Hieronymite nuns are the owners of the convent located at the gates of the Calatrava neighborhood. This was explained this Tuesday by the president of the Federation and prioress of the monastery, Ángeles Sanz, and the lawyer who represented the nuns for the twelve years the litigation lasted to clarify the ownership of the building, Maria del Pilar Rosselló.

"An era is ending and, with all our hope, we are opening another where we begin to work together with the Council. We will surely find a good purpose for this sacred place," said the religious. In this regard, the lawyer celebrated that the judicial process has ended with a true victory and allows new paths to be opened to determine the future of Santa Isabel. "We have just come out of the lawsuit and the question of what will house the property still needs to be studied," explained Rosselló, who pointed to some options that could be carried out, taking into account the legal and patrimonial characteristics of the place, since the lawyer recalled that the Hieronymites are an order governed by pontifical law. That is, any process related to the monastery, whether for sale or rent, will be monitored, supervised, and tutored by the Holy See.

In this context, he referred to the orientations that the Holy See provides to govern the legal life of religious institutions under its mandate. "These instructions make it clear that these stones, this art, speak and have an evangelizing function. And, therefore, the indication to maintain, if possible, religious life is insisted upon. And if not, to seek a destination that is compatible with the order's plan," he pointed out. The Holy See, he continued, allows different solutions for this type of historic building as long as they allow "the reason for being" of the religious order to "survive in another way." "Whether by reconciling worship in the Church, attention to artistic and historical heritage, or by reconciling a social, educational destiny compatible with this survival of the charismatic plan," the lawyer underlined.

The only project that, over the more than a decade in which the property has been pending a judicial resolution, they explained, was the one presented by the entity Amadip Esment, which works with people with intellectual disabilities.

It has also opened up to other possibilities, such as reconciling a university use, "it would be fantastic," he added, with the exhibition of the "very valuable" collections of sacred art that the Jeronymite order treasures. "There can be very many legal formulas, whether it be a cession of use, a rental...", pointed out Rosselló. In a similar vein, the Cistercian monk and religious assistant of the Jeronymite Federation of Santa Paula, Enrique Triguero, expressed himself, entrusting the future of the building to God.

"The ideal is for a community of Jeronymite nuns to live here. God seems to bless some communities of the order with vocations. In the future, not in the near future but in the medium term, this possibility could be taken into account. But in the meantime, we will have to see the process, because right now nothing is planned," he indicated. He also did not rule out the possibility that nuns from another religious congregation could be established in the monastery, for which it would be necessary to open a dialogue process with the Diocese of Mallorca, which, for the moment, has not even been considered.

The curator, restorer, and head of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel, Pere Terrasa, assured that the structure of the building is in good condition thanks to the work carried out over all these years. "Could a congregation be installed there tomorrow? Yes. It is not a modern monastery, it is true, but one can live there," he affirmed.

The structure of the building and the heritage, in good condition

Terrasa has also reviewed their work on the preservation of the artistic, cultural, and historical heritage of the Monastery of Santa Isabel, with which they have worked over these years, which is, they have assured, in good condition.

Three inventories have been prepared, one of paintings and sculptures, another of 15th-century altars, and one more of liturgical vestments, which are in the hands of both the Consell de Mallorca – the main body responsible for heritage policies – and the Holy See. In addition, work is being done on one of ceramics and another on furniture. To this is added the restoration of a wall or the roof, which was affected by a waterspout. Also of various paintings, such as those of Ramon Llull, Sant Honorat and Sant Antoni, and of the embroidery by Antoni Gaudí, which have been the subject of various exhibitions. The archive and the works of art were temporarily transferred to the chapter house of Inca, where it is in "good condition". "Things are not mixed up, as they say. The work has been carried out with light and stenographers," they concluded.