ESGLÉSIA DE SANT ALFONS
(The St. Alphonsus' church)
The hospice, not to be confused with the hospital, was established in 1820, in order to comply with an order of the Cortes (Courts) of Cadiz, which decreed to construct buildings to house the poor. We know that, at least in 1828, it was run by the Sisters of Charity, who cared for the poor and needy. After 1883, the town's hospital was located in same building as the hospice. Thus, both institutions were associated with each other.
The church of Sant Alfons, originally built as the chapel of the hospice premises, experienced an extensive expansion between 1878 and 1881, providing it with greater autonomy. Pere d'Alcàntara Penya was the creator of the project and he designed a building that can be assigned in style to the neo-Gothic historicism of the late 19th century.
In 1930, Guillem Muntaner led a new refurbishment. He extended the apse with a completely new front wall and built a transept with a dome. The simple, austere façade with a central rose window reflects the Gothic tradition, also used for the St. Michael's parish church. In the centre there is a portal with a pointed arch, framed by another large, pointed arch of purely decorative purpose.
The portal is flanked by two small towers, crowned by bell gables. This central section ends in a gable, decorated with corbels.
The interior layout features the shape of a Latin cross with side chapels. The open chapels have pointed arches and are covered with a ribbed vaulting.
The most remarkable feature of the rebuilding works, carried out in 1930, is the protruding transept with a large dome rising on squinches and showing a star-shaped vault with stained glass windows. The central nave is spanned by a cross-ribbed vault divided by transverse arches, the ribs of which connect with the pillars that delimit the chapels, thus reinforcing the upward effect.
On the interior elevation, it is the triforium above the side chapels that attracts attention. It runs around the entire central nave and behind the apse.
The congregation of St. Ildefons (Sant Alfons) in Felanitx has been documented since 1866.