"When I saw the Virgin Mary of Costitx my legs trembled"

SencellesThe Virgin Mary of the small chapel on Major Street in Costitx is now back in the municipality after four months following her mysterious disappearance. The figure, a Santanyí marès stone sculpture dating back to 1913, was found this weekend in Sencelles, in a surprising discovery that many residents are already linking to the traditional popular legend.

It was the official chronicler of Sencelles, Jordi Llabrés, who found the image. Llabrés was heading towards 8:30 a.m. to open the church of Sencelles when, next to the sculpture of Sor Francinaina that presides over the town square, he saw something different.

"My legs were shaking. When I saw her, it was hard to believe, but it was her," explains Llabrés, who assures that at first he could not avoid worrying about the possible disagreements that the find could generate between neighboring towns: "I asked God that they wouldn't find her in Sencelles so as not to cause unrest between the people of Sencelles and the people of Costitx… and look, I had her right before my eyes."

Faced with the surprising discovery, Llabrés immediately notified the rector of the parishes of Sencelles and Costitx, Father Malachy Igbokwe. Once the image was moved to the rectory of Sencelles, the rector contacted the municipal authorities of Costitx to inform them of the news and coordinate the return of the image.

Finally, the image was returned by the rector to the town this past Monday. Now, Joan Munar, mayor of Costitx, explains that "the image is missing its crowns and an arm has also been damaged, therefore, it will now be taken to be restored." Regarding the image commissioned to the sculptor from sa Pobla, Georgina Gamundí, Munar explains that "the commission is continuing and its location will have to be decided. We don't know if it will be at another entrance to the town or where, but what we do believe is that this figure, once restored, will return to the original small chapel."

Joke between towns?

This event has caused a great stir among the residents of both towns, as many have recalled the historical legend of the Virgin Mary of Costitx. According to the oral tradition, centuries ago, the people of Sencelles wanted to take the image, but it disappeared and miraculously returned to its original location in Costitx. "Today everyone is talking about the legend, which is repeating itself," explains Llabrés.

The prank or bad-taste theft seems to have gotten out of hand for those who did it, and perhaps for that reason, burdened with guilt, they saw leaving the image in Sencelles as a way out of their "prank".

In Costitx, this weekend the satisfaction has been widespread for having recovered such a cherished piece of their heritage and their collective history.