A cloistered convent and traditional sweets
The walk to the cathedral or the descent back down holds a surprise for visitors with a sweet tooth: the cloistered convent known to Ibizans as Ses Monges Tancades, ‘the locked-up nuns’. Founded in 1599 to house the Order of the Canons Regular of St Augustine of the Lateran, only its chapel – dedicated to St Christopher (Sant Cristòfol in Catalan) and rebuilt in the 1960s after being destroyed during the Civil War – can be viewed today.
Inside, highlights include the main altarpiece, carved from wood and gilded and polychromed, by the renowned Barcelona artist Pere Serra (17th century); and the holy water font, a fine example of Genoese Baroque art. Next to the chapel you’ll find the convent’s entrance hall, where you can buy Ibizan specialities made by the nuns, such as orelletes, cocas and rubiols.
A tip: a few metres further up, on Carrer Sant Ciriac, take a look at a small chapel built on the spot where, according to legend, the Catalans managed to enter and conquer the city in 1235.
