Recently we talked about Mirmanda, the ancient destroyed city of Catalan mythology. Today we’re talking about another mythical place from our legends: Paradela.
According to the legends, Paradela is a city that resurfaces from the bottom of the sea only once a year, on Sant Joan / Saint John’s Night (23rd of June). When that happens, the city - surrounded by walls, towers and bell towers - can be seen from certain areas of Menorca (Balearic Islands).
It’s no surprise that Sant Joan is the date chosen: as we’ve explained before, Saint John is considered the most magical night of the year in the Catalan traditions, when mythological beings are in closer contact with humans and magic spells have the strongest effect. Many legends that talk about things that only happen once a year are set on this night.
The tradition says that if 7 men named Joan and 7 women named Joana come to see the city together, the curse will expire and Paradela will regain the population and riches that it had in the moment when it sank.
Variations of the name: the same legendary city is called “Paradella” in Palma and “Troia” in Felanitx.
