Ramon Llull in the service of National Catholicism

Ramon Llull is the eccentric mystic of Catalan literature. Born in Palma in 1232, he was the son of Catalan noble settlers who arrived following the conquest by James I. In his thirties, his frivolous and worldly life took a complete turn after hearing a sermon by the Bishop of Mallorca about Saint Francis of Assisi. He had previously witnessed five apparitions of the crucified Christ. He then abandoned his wife and two children to dedicate himself body and soul to writing his famous ArsA universal method for combating the 'errors' of the infidels, for which he would be considered the precursor of computer science. To gain more allies in this cause, he founded a missionary school in Miramar, on the coast of Valldemossa, with the patronage of King James II. He also traveled to Europe to secure the support of popes, monarchs, and lords.

Upon his death in 1315 at the age of 83, the Palma native was quickly venerated locally as a blessed by popular acclaim. However, he became not only a religious figure but also an intellectual one. In 1483, under his patronage, the first center of higher learning in Mallorca, the Estudi General Lul·lià, was created, initially housed in the former Jesuit convent of Monti-sion. In 1691 the institution was transformed into a Pontifical University, also known as the Lullian University – it remained in operation until 1842.

It was from the second half of the 19th century onwards that Llull's figure began to be championed as one of the founding fathers of the nation. The leading voices of this movement were those of the Renaixença, an intellectual movement born under the influence of English and German Romanticism. In these two countries, there had already been attempts to honor their great national icons of the past with statues. The Mallorcan Renaissance thinkers would do the same with their blessed figure. This marked the beginning of the secularization of a religious symbol. In 1863, the mayor of Palma, Estanislau Lluís Piñano, and the lawyer Antoni Prohens proposed placing a statue of Llull in the center of the Plaza de Abastos, now the Plaça Major, as it was believed to be his birthplace. Others, however, favored placing it in the Plaça de Sant Francesc, next to the church where he was buried. However, neither proposal came to fruition.

A colossal Llull in Randa

In 1872, Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria purchased Llull's estate of Miramar. In 1880, to commemorate the sixth centenary of the founding of the missionary school, he commissioned the renowned Italian artist Giovanni Doupée to create a marble statue of the philosopher. The piece was placed in the well-known Chapel of the Bridge, built on a rocky outcrop. In 1975, lightning struck, causing part of the structure to collapse and damaging the sculpture's two hands. As a result, the piece was moved to the Son Moragues estate. During this time, several projects for civic monuments dedicated to Llull failed, remaining only on paper. There was also a very important religious project that never came to fruition. This was the one promoted by the Franciscans on Mount Randa (Algaida), where the scholar received the revelation, the famous 'illumination,' concerning his ArsThe summit was intended to be crowned with a colossal statue similar to the Statue of Liberty in New York. This idea was eventually abandoned due to logistical impracticality. However, in 1919, a smaller sculpture was erected at the entrance to the Cura sanctuary.

The institution most interested in honoring the figure of the 'Enlightened Doctor' was the Lullian Archaeological Society (SAL), created in 1880 at the initiative of Bartomeu Ferrà. Its first headquarters was the Lullian college of La Sapiencia, built in 1629 in the Plaça de Sant Jeroni in Palma. In 1888, the SAL had a plaque placed above the portico of the current Plaça Major, on the supposed birthplace of the Blessed. In 1892, the artists Llorenç Ferrer and Guillem Galmés sculpted a statue of Mallorca's most universal figure for the cloister of the Institut Balear, founded in 1835 in the former building of the Estudi General Lul·lià – in 1929, La Sapiencia would also have one. In 1916, the sculpture was part of the center's relocation to an educational facility inaugurated near the Riera stream, the well-known 'academic island'. It was then placed in front of the new building, at the intersection of what are now Avenida de Alemania, Avenida de Portugal, and Via Roma.

Decapitated Llull

On April 15, 1931, the day after the proclamation of the Second Republic, this statue was found decapitated. "For some unruly young republicans," asserts historian Gabriel Alomar, "Llull represented the old regime, in which religion and the Church dictated political power." In March 1932, the Balearic Federation of Catholic Students undertook the task of funding the sculpture's restoration. That year marked the seventh centenary of the Blessed Llull's birth. The work was inaugurated two months later with the attendance of students, professors, and representatives of the City Council. "Five days after this act of vandalism, the faculty of the Institut Balear had already issued a declaration of support for the Republic, hoping that it would advocate for improvements in education and promote the ideals of culture and freedom."

The only member of the faculty who voted against that declaration was the Latin professor, Father Bartomeu Bosch. This is the same person who, after the coup d'état of July 1936, became director of the Institut Balear and president of the various tribunals that purged teachers and professors. At his suggestion, the school was renamed IES Ramon Llull to erase the liberal values of the French lycées that had inspired it. "With the name change," Alomar states, "the intention was to exalt the Catholic religion and highlight Llull as a model for education and for young people."

'Raymond Lull', a Spanish patriot

After the Civil War ended, the 'academic island' dominated by the statue of Llull became the focal point for the celebrations of the 'victory' on May 19, 1939. "The grand parade, the massive rosary procession, passed in front of it," the researcher notes. In 1967, the Llull sculpture was moved to the interior courtyard of the Ramon Llull High School. This was a consequence of Palma's new urban plan, which involved eliminating the wide promenade that had stood between the avenues and housed the sculptural group.

Historian Pere Fullana explains the Franco regime's interest in Llull: "He was seen as a great ally of National Catholicism, obviously overlooking his role as the father of literary Catalan. People like the Archbishop of Madrid, Leopoldo Lullus, a missionary who during the Middle Ages dedicated himself to converting Muslim infidels [he would have traveled to Bougie, Tunisia, Cyprus, Jerusalem, and even Egypt, Ethiopia, and Armenia]. The same had been done in the 18th century by Junípero Serra with the indigenous peoples of Mexico and California. The Franco regime's library of Christian authors. Then, our blessed one became known as 'Raymond Lullus,' and many of his works were translated into Spanish." Meanwhile, in 1957, the scholar Friedrich Stegmüller founded the Raimundus Lullus Institut in Freiburg, Germany, which has now become the world's leading center for Lullian research.

From Mallorca, the Franciscan Pere Joan Cerdà Colom, a native of Bunyola, offered a particularly insightful reading of Llull's thought. In 1925, he had already spearheaded the construction of the Blessed Ramon Llull School in Inca, popularly known as San Francisco. "In 1937," Fullana notes, "he delivered a sermon in Palma in which he spoke of the architect of..."Ars as the emblem of the new, exemplary Catholic state that was to be imposed." During the Franco regime, more statues of the 'Enlightened Doctor' continued to be placed in other locations: the mythical cave of Cura where he received his 'enlightenment' (1943), the Royal Monastery in Palma (1955), the Rafal neighborhood (1961), and even some private spaces.

In 1967, the most important monument was inaugurated on the Sagrera promenade. It was designed by Horacio de Eguía, of Basque origin, the same artist who in 1965 had already erected the famous sculpture of Friar Junípero Serra in front of the San Francisco convent.