The Story of Majorca and MinorcaMarkham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir
History
The Story of Majorca and Minorca
Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir
Balearic Islands (Spain) -- History
En Jayme brought architects, sculptors, and decorators to Majorca, as
well as troubadours and musicians, and he encouraged native talent.
But the great ornament of his reign was an eminent philosopher and
theologian. Ramon Lull, or Raimundo Lulio of Barcelona, was one of the
companions of Jayme I., and received two _alquerias_ or farms at the
partition. He was married to Heril de Cataluña, and their son Raimundo
was born in the capital of Majorca in about the year 1235. His parents
wished him to learn to read, but he cared for nothing but arms, and
became a page to En Jayme. He neglected his duties to the Prince and
gave up nearly all his time to rather scandalous love affairs. His
parents thought that the only cure was marriage, and they married him
to a girl named Catalina Labots; but this only appeared to increase his
devotion to other married women. His conversion was miraculous. He had
a celestial vision in the garden of the bishop’s palace, and another
in his own house, when he heard the words, ‘Raimundo, follow me!’ He
sold all his property, only reserving a small portion for his wife and
children, and in 1266 he embarked for Barcelona to visit the shrines
of Montserrat and Santiago. He then returned home to cause edification
by his example in the same place where his former life had been so
scandalous. He was well past his thirtieth year.
Lulio then began to learn Arabic from a slave, with the intention
of preaching to the Moors; but one day he flogged his teacher for
blaspheming God, who retaliated by stabbing Lulio in the breast.
The new convert then left the abodes of man and went up an isolated
hill called Randa, well in sight from the anchorage off the capital
of Majorca. Here his life was a continual succession of prayers,
penitence, and tears. He was favoured with more celestial visions.
His mind seems to have been filled with zeal for the conversion of
unbelievers; and he also developed some crude philosophical ideas in
his solitude. Jayme II. was at this time at Montpellier, and, hearing
of the miraculous conversion of his former page, he sent for him. En
Jayme was struck by the earnestness, the eloquence, and the ability of
the new convert. When Lulio entreated the King to establish a school in
Majorca for teaching Arabic, with a view to preaching to the infidels,
he consented. He made a grant of money sufficient to sustain thirteen
monks, and assigned for their college a farm in a lovely spot on the
north coast of the island, overlooking the sea, called Miramar. Here
Lulio studied, and wrote his theories and ideas; but his plan did not
succeed, and the college was a failure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account