The town itself is famous for its monastery, 'the Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa', which began life as a palace built by King Sancho in the early fourteenth century. This was converted into a monastery in 1399 by Carthusian monks and called 'The Real Cartuja de Jesus de Nazaret'. Monasteries were confiscated by the Spanish government in the 1830s and Valdemossa Monastery became privately owned.