Can Formiguera

Can Formiguera is a historic aristocratic house in Palma, shaped by centuries of additions and changing ownership. Two buildings meet above Can Serra street in a large connecting arch. Pere Ramon de Safortesa i de Villalonga acquired its first section in 1621, and his son expanded it with two additional houses. Comte Mal remains central to the house’s history and legends.

The northern building opens onto Portella and Can Formiguera streets, while the larger southern building forms an L-shaped plan. A tower rises beside the square near Portella. The main entrance faces Can Serra, beneath an angled façade, a continuous wooden balustrade, and Comte Mal’s coat of arms. The overhanging cornice carries human and animal reliefs. The old city wall façade and inner courtyard preserve Gothic structure, while lowered arches and an octagonal column reflect Neo-Gothic work. A chapel also received a nineteenth-century renovation.

During the nineteenth century, Can Formiguera housed natural-history curiosities, quality paintings, and a library. Architect Guillem Forteza later helped divide the house into several residences. Local tradition links the tower to Comte Mal, Margalida of Santa Clara, and a supposed underground passage between house and convent. The legend says the devil helped raise the tower. Can Formiguera brings Gothic, Neo-Gothic, and local elements together across its arches, courtyard, tower, and layered street-facing buildings. Its balconies, reliefs, and octagonal column define its distinctive architectural character.