The
Ciutadella Town Council
will hold and extraordinary session on Tuesday, July 9 at 7 p.m. at the
Gothic Hall of Ciutadella featuring the reading of the "Acta de Constantinoble",
that describes the fall of the city to the Turks in 1558, the Year of the
Misfortune. This is the central event of the fiesta known as the "9 de
Juliol", that commemorates the defence carried out by just a few of hundred
men against a powerful Turkish army, formed by 140 ships and 15.000 warriors.
The resistance was ferocious but useless and the Turks carried all the
survivors into slavery in Constantinople
The fiesta of the "9 de Juliol" has a great popular participation. After
the reading of the statement of Constantinople, Daniel Duran and Duelt,
historian of the institution Milà i Fontanals from Catalunya, will
offer the lecture "El camí del desacord: la Corona d'Aragó
i els turcs a l'edat mitjana" and the prize giving of the "XIX Premi
Concurs d'Imatge de les Festes de Sant Joan" and the "Premi III Concurs
de Poesia de Sant Joan" will also take place.
The programme includes some other cultural activities such as a party
at the "9 de Juliol" street organised by the Associació de Comerciants
that will be held on Saturday 13 as from 8 p.m. with the performance of
the Sant Miquel folk group.