Convent statistics for Santa Catalina de Siena of Palma

This graph shows the number of professed nuns per decade within the convent in Palma. It highlights that the highest concentration of nuns occurred around the 1660s, when the number of admissions was particularly high. From that point on, the number of admissions stabilised with some fluctuations, but always within a range of between 4 and 8 nuns per decade. This indicates that the convent was constantly active, although without the large peaks in admissions that we saw in Vic.

 

Here we present the availability of data on the nature of the nuns. In total, in 63 cases the origin is unknown and in 58 it is recorded. As in the convent of Vic, we are working with incomplete documentation, but the percentage of cases with available information is somewhat more balanced in this convent.

 

When we look at where the nuns whose origins are known came from, we see that most were from Palma (29.5%). They are followed by other municipalities in Mallorca, such as Valldemossa, Petra, Manacor, Montuïri, Sineu and Alcúdia. The rest of the localities are shown in the other graph, as they only appear once. This pattern shows that the convent of Santa Catalina in Palma had an almost exclusively insular influence, very much centred on Mallorca and especially on the capital.

 

Finally, this chart classifies the nuns according to their function or category within the convent. The vast majority, a total of 96, belonged to the choir, that is, they were nuns of choral life dedicated mainly to prayer and spiritual tasks. On the other hand, 25 of them were in obedience, dedicated to specific jobs and trades within the convent. This distribution reinforces the idea of a well-structured community, where the majority played a spiritual role and a smaller part was responsible for internal operations.