Royal Palace of La Almudaina

Palma, Spain

The Royal Palace of La Almudaina, Spanish Palacio Real de La Almudaina, is the Alcázar (fortified palace) of Palma, the capital city of the Island of Majorca, Spain. Built as an Arabian Fort, the crown claimed it as official royal residence in the early 14th century. Inside are many empty rooms, however, when King James II began restoration, his design plan included the encompassing of the small, romanesque Chapel of Saint Anne. It stands opposite the dramatic Palma Cathedral with commanding views over the Bay of Palma.

The palace is owned by the Spanish government and operated by Patrimonio Nacional, an agency of the Minister of the Presidency that manages assets of the State for the Crown. Nowadays, the Royal Family uses it as an official residence for ceremonies and State receptions, having their private summer residence in the Palace of Marivent on the outskirts of Palma.

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Address

Carrer del Palau Reial 29, Palma, Spain
See all sites in Palma

Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Spain

More Information

www.patrimonionacional.es
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Palma Cathedral (0,1 km)
Bellver Castle (2,4 km)
Basilica de Sant Francesc (0,6 km)


Santuari de Lluc (34,9 km)
Church of St. Jaume (51,4 km)
Roman Remains of Pollentia (51,3 km)
Son Marroig (20,5 km)
Alaro Castle (22,2 km)
Capocorb Vell (24,3 km)
Castell del Rei (50,2 km)

User Reviews

Indira Freeman (32 days ago)
Spectacular! Must visit. Sad that one part of the palace was under the construction, but enjoyed what I was able to see.
Jonathan Penamala (34 days ago)
Great view of history although there were some resrictions on the furniture within the palace, which prevented getting up close to the craftsmanship. The price of entry was affordable ( a proper bargain) and ultimately very much worth it. I would recommend going in small groups that would be able to take their time reading the information dotted around the palace as well bringing a camera for a few good shots.
Valerie Litwinko (36 days ago)
So i came here without knowing what to expect, the majority of the palace is tapestries, and non too fine in particular. I did not think it was worth the 7 euro price of admission. However, the very worst part was the incessant security guard hassling you and following you around, and i understand correcting people, but it was done in such a rude manner. It is a fine example of architecture, so save yourself the hassle and just look from the outside.
Persi Cleric (2 months ago)
If you're interested in history you can probably spend more than half of the day here, if not, the place itself is interesting and pretty, especially during the sunset
Lisa Phuong (2 months ago)
The palace is small but there is a lot of history here. It’s worth taking the audio guide. Located next to the cathedral and you can buy tickets to see both attractions.
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Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

In 1986 the Porta Nigra was designated a World Heritage Site, along with other Roman monuments in Trier and its surroundings. The modern appearance of the Porta Nigra goes back almost unchanged to the reconstruction ordered by Napoleon. At the south side of the Porta Nigra, remains of Roman columns line the last 100 m of the street leading to the gate. Positioned where they had stood in Roman times, they give a slight impression of the aspect of the original Roman street that was lined with colonnades. The Porta Nigra, including the upper floors, is open to visitors.

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