The Consell de Mallorca and the Bisbat de Mallorca are working to disseminate the festivity of the Assumption to preserve its heritage and culture.

A total of 77 beds of the Virgin Mary will be on display this 15 August in Mallorca to mark the feast of the Assumption. The Consell de Mallorca and the Bisbat de Mallorca are working to disseminate this festivity to preserve its heritage and culture, and for this reason, all the information on the monuments on display has been compiled on a website. In this way, Mallorcans interested in this tradition can consult the documentary collection of the 19 beds that are on display in Palma and the 58 that can be visited in the Part Forana.

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The curiosities of the Virgin Mary’s beds that will be on display this 15 August in Mallorca

The coordinator of the project to disseminate the festivity, Gabriel Carrió, explained that ‘the dissemination plan aims to disseminate all the information that can enrich the visit to the different beds on display in all the participating churches on the island. With all the research and this documentary collection that is being created on the Assumption, we are actively participating in the understanding of the liturgical and cultural heritage related to this festivity that is so deeply rooted on the island.

Of the monuments on display these days, the Virgin Mary in La Seu and the one in the church of La Concepción, in Palma, and the one in Muro in La Part Forana stand out for their size. As for the smaller versions, these are the ones on display in the Covent of Sineu and those in the churches of Caputxines and Santa Magdalena.

Most of them are of anonymous creation

The compilation of information also highlights the fact that 98% of the beds on display are of anonymous creation. This is because most of the monuments are quite old, dating back to the 17th century, which makes it difficult to identify the creator of the work.

The tradition of monuments of the Assumption of the Virgin in Mallorca dates back to the 14th century. The sculpture of the dead Virgin in La Seu de Mallorca is the oldest one on display this year, dating from the 15th century. On the other hand, most of the beds on display this year (2024) are very old (17th century), but there are others, such as the bed from the parish of Sant Jaume in Palma and the one from Sineu, which are more recent creations, from around the mid-20th century.

Different styles

The peak of the creation of this type of image was during the 16th and 17th centuries, with a conservative medieval design. As time went on, in the 18th century, the monuments began to be more expressive.

The scenography of the beds of the Assumption feast is characterised by the figure of the Virgin Mary placed in the centre of the scenography, which can have different degrees of complexity, depending on the predominant style of the time of its creation. The classical configuration occurs when all the elements of the monument are placed on top of the canopy bed, supported by four columns and four angels of practically natural size, as is the case with the bed of the Seu and the church of the Concepció.

About the Baroque style beds, they are defined by a carved crown: an example is the monument in Muro. The neoclassicist style is characterised by the canopy bed, as is the case of the monument of Sant Jaume.

The name of the festivity in Mallorca has many popular versions, such as the Mare de Déu d’Agost, the Mare de Déu Morta, the Mare de Déu Dormida and the Mare de Déu del Llit. All of them coexist with others in the erudite style, such as the Assumpció, the best known, among others, the Traspàs, the Transpàs, the Translació, the Translació or the Dormició de la Mare de Déu.

The ornamentation of the beds is usually done with plants, such as basil. Its presence is explained by its aromatic powers used as an ointment to keep insects away during the wake of the deceased.

The full programme of the festivities can be consulted at maioricasacra.org and the website conselldemallorca.es/assumpciodelamarededeu.