It is a 17th-century Franciscan convent which has been listed as an asset of cultural interest since 1993.

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The use of the Convent of Sant Diego

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzà, the president of the Consell Insular de Menorca, Adolfo Vilafranca, and the mayor of Alaior, José Luis Benejam, have signed the agreement for the management of the Sant Diego Convent Cultural Centre, a 17th century Franciscan convent known as the Sa Lluna courtyard, which has been listed as an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1993.

The agreement stipulates the transfer of the use of the Convent to the Alaior Town Council for ten years. On an annual basis, the Town Council, the Government and the Consell Insular de Menorca will each contribute an amount of 54,523.21 euros to guarantee the maintenance and services of this space. The purposes of the use of the courtyard of Sa Lluna d’Alaior are the cultural promotion of the municipality and the island of Menorca, the conservation of the historical-artistic heritage and the tourist information and projection.

The first steps after the signing of this agreement will be, within a maximum period of six months from the transfer agreement, the creation of the Social Council of the Convent of Sant Diego, a body for citizen participation in the management of the space, with functions of advice, consultation, monitoring and support to the Monitoring Committee of this agreement.

Minister Bauzá highlighted the beauty of the Sa Lluna courtyard, a unique place of great cultural and historical importance in Alaior. “This emblematic space will become a meeting place in the cultural sphere for Menorcans and will be an obligatory stop on the tourist route for our visitors”, he assured.

For his part, the president of the Consell Insular de Menorca, Adolfo Vilafranca, said: “We are delighted that this agreement is a reality, as we believe that this project is important because it enables three objectives: to conserve Menorca’s historical heritage, to contribute to cultural promotion and to boost tourism promotion”.

In this sense, the mayor of Alaior, José Luis Benejam, thanked the councillor Bauzà and the president Vilafranca “for their involvement and drive to make this signature a reality”. “The Convent of Sant Diego is destined to be a great dynamiser for Alaior, not only in the cultural and artistic sphere, but also in the social and economic sphere”, he added.

The Convent of Sant Diego was acquired by the entity Inestur (currently AETIB) on 21st February 2005. The following year this building was included in the Catalogue of architectural protection and ethnological assets of the Alaior Town Hall. The Balearic Government has been in charge of rehabilitating and adapting the space, which from now on will be entirely managed by the Alaior Town Council.