The history of Mongofra Nou
Fernando Rubió i Tudurí was born in Barcelona in 1900, his father being Catalan and his mother Menorcan. In 1923 he founded the Andrómaco Laboratories and made his money in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1923 he expanded into Portugal and many countries in South America, being the first Catalan multinational company. He moved to New York in the 1940s, and then to Mexico.
In 1930 he bought for 200,000 pesetas (about 1,200 € ) a magnificent Estate of 208 hectares in a corner of paradise, in a north of the island gulf. Its purpose was not farming, but leisure and hunting, and it was not until the 1950s that Mongofra became his main residence.
Mongofra Nou Estate is located in a high place, from where nothing but nature is seen. It not in vain it’s the largest protected area in the Balearic Islands.
Rubió was a Mecenas in love with the island: he restored the organ of Santa Maria and bought new organs for the Cathedral of Menorca and the Church of Socors of Ciutadella. He also commissioned statues in
Mahon for distinguished Menorcans, such as Pilar Alonso and Pare Camps, among others. He created associations such as the Club Marítim and the Ateneu of Maó, Club Nautico, the Artistic Circle, the Davidic Chapel in Ciutadella and the Cultural Center of Alaior; He erected military monuments, chapels, and monasteries, and restored the Fort Marlborough.
In 1987 the Fundació Rubió Tudurí-Andrómaco was created with the mission of fostering and promoting culture, scientific research, and dissemination of scientific and technical subjects, as well as sport, in the area of the island of Menorca. This foundation has been responsible for managing the Estate since his death in 1994. The house is no longer occupied permanently but still frequented regularly by one of his daughters, Mercedes, who lives in Barcelona.
The Mongofra Nou house is fascinating, full of memorabilia, trophies and unusual objects. It has a small chapel decorated with frescoes by Pedro Pruna and dedicated to San Fernando and the Virgen del Toro. The Estate is definitely an experience worth the visit.
