Municipality
Sant Joan
Photo: Antoni Picornell · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · cropped
Sant Joan is a village in the Pla de Mallorca, between Sineu, Petra, Montuïri and Porreres, with the sanctuary of Consolació on a hill on the outskirts and a calendar of festivities with a strong personality. It is an agricultural municipality with a single settlement, permanent population and inland prices. For those seeking housing, it offers village houses and dry land fincas in a central position within the island.
The municipality is flat and dry, in the central-southern part of the Pla. The village is organised around its main street and square, with two-storey stone houses. On the outskirts, on an elevation, is the santuari de Consolació, the reference point of the municipality; the tradition recounted by the town hall states that a shepherd found the image of the Virgin nearby, next to the possessió of Solanda.
There is a single settlement. The town centre includes the village houses between party walls and the services; on the edges, there is some single-family housing with plots. The rest of the municipality is rural, with country houses and dry land fincas, and it is where the product that most attracts outside buyers appears.
The services are those of a small village in the Pla: the basics are covered, with a municipal cultural centre and the shared services of the region. For secondary schools, hospitals, large retail outlets and administration, one must head towards Manacor, Inca or Palma. There is no tourist seasonality: a permanent population all year round.
There is no coastline; the beaches are a drive away in any direction. What exists is flat land, rural paths and very little traffic.
Culturally, the municipality has two traditions explained by the town hall that are among the most unique in the Pla. The Festa del Quart Diumenge, now known as es Pa i es Peix, is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, when the Church remembers the multiplication of loaves and fishes: at the sanctuary of Consolació, small unleavened cakes, marked with the imprint of the five loaves and two fishes, called casques, are distributed. Until 1919, this festival was the patronal one, but due to coinciding with the harvest season, the festivities were moved to August 29. And on the day of Sant Joan, the Sol que Balla is celebrated: climbing to Consolació at dawn to see the sun dance as it rises, marking the beginning of summer.
Sant Joan is connected by road to Sineu, Petra, Montuïri and Vilafranca, centrally located within the plain but outside the fast routes. It does not have a train station: the nearest are those of Sineu and Petra, just a few minutes by car. The bus links the municipality with neighbouring villages and Palma. A car is necessary.
Village houses between party walls, often made of stone and with a patio, with a good portion of the stock in need of renovation; some single-family homes with plots on the edges; and dry land fincas with a house or shed in the countryside. New builds are sporadic. In rural areas, the general limitations of Mallorca apply, and there are many old buildings without clear urban planning status: verifying it before purchasing is the first step, along with checking the utilities.
A very small market, with very little published supply at any one time. The demand is local and regional, with outside buyers particularly interested in the finca. Prices are among the most affordable on the island. Long-term residential rentals are scarce. Tourist rentals are subject to regulations that have changed several times and are restrictive in rural areas: it is advisable to confirm them for the specific property.
It suits those looking for price and countryside in the centre of Mallorca and who value a village with living traditions. It is advisable to consider the limited services, the absence of the sea and train, the cost of renovating old housing, the urban planning status of rural constructions, the heat of the plain in summer, and the scarcity of supply.