How did the Franciscans and Dominicans promote the Catalan language through their missions in Mallorca?

The Franciscans and Dominicans played a pivotal role in promoting the Catalan language in Mallorca through their religious and social missions during the Middle Ages and beyond. Arriving shortly after the island was conquered by James I of Aragon in the 13th century, these mendicant orders were instrumental in establishing Catalan as the dominant language of administration, worship, and education. Their presence was closely tied to the consolidation of Christian rule, and they used Catalan to communicate religious teachings, writings, and liturgies, thereby embedding the language deeply into the daily lives of Mallorcan communities.

Both orders founded numerous convents and churches throughout Mallorca, which became centers not only of spiritual life but also of learning and culture. Through the sermons they delivered, the confessions they heard, and the instructional texts they produced, they ensured that Catalan was the medium through which most of the island's population accessed religious knowledge. This was significant in a period when Latin remained the language of the Church universally; using Catalan made teachings accessible to ordinary people and helped nurture the local identity tied to the language. Additionally, these orders produced a variety of literary and theological texts in Catalan, contributing to the language’s literary tradition and its status as a vehicle for intellectual discourse.

Moreover, the Franciscans and Dominicans often engaged in social work, assisting the needy and instructing the youth, further spreading the use of Catalan in everyday communication and education. Their missions extended into rural areas, where oral use of Catalan was widespread but literacy in the language was less common. By offering instruction and religious services in Catalan, they helped standardize the language and encouraged its use in written form, which in turn influenced the cultural development of Mallorca. Through their systematic efforts in preaching, teaching, and producing literature, these religious orders solidified Catalan as a living language, intertwining it with the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage in a lasting way.