APB hands over bust of Lieutenant General Antonio Barceló to Santa Creu parish church to mark third centenary of his birth
Palma
07/08/2017
The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has today moved the bust of Lieutenant General Antonio Barceló from its location on the promenade of the Port of Palma to the Santa Cruz parish church so that it is at the forefront of the acts that are to be held to mark the third centenary of his birth.
The bust weighing several tonnes, which was given to the APB by the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce, is a reminder of the work of Antonio Barceló i Pont de la Terra, appointed Lieutenant General of the Spanish Royal Armada by Charles III, who was renowned for his involvement and bravery in combating the Algerine and Barbary pirates who besieged our coasts.
“Captain Toni” or “Mariner Toni”, as he was colloquially known, was born and lived and died in Palma in the house adjacent to the Santa Cruz parish, where he was a parishioner.
Now, after the various tributes paid to him by different institutions on our islands and the conferences on his life held in June by the Spanish Royal Navy League Association (RLNE), the Mallorca Island Council and the 'Diario de Mallorca' Club, the Santa Cruz parish, where his remains have been laid to rest, has organised an exhibition with the objects and belongings that Captain Toni donated to this parish.
The exhibition, promoted by the Rector of Santa Cruz parish, Josep Jaume, and a team comprising Miquel Deyà from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Jaume Ferrando (APB) and representatives of the RLNE delegation in the Balearic Islands, is due to open on 17 September in the museum of the parish.
The temporary donation of the stone bust from the APB and the fact that it is to be placed in the main entrance of Santa Cruz parish honours this institution's wish to join in with the tributes being paid to this distinguished figure from the Balearic Islands, with the aim of spreading the word regarding the exhibition being held in his memory as far as possible.
