Palma Cathedral

Palma, Spain

Built by the Crown of Aragon on the site of a Moorish-era mosque, Palma cathedral is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and its nave is 44 metres tall.

Designed in the Catalan Gothic style but with Northern European influences, it was begun by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but only finished in 1601. It sits within the old city of Palma atop the former citadel of the Roman city, between the Royal Palace of La Almudaina and the episcopal palace. It also overlooks the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea.

Light pours in through the rose window - one of the world's largest, 12m across and studded with 1,236 pieces of stained glass. The columns are ringed with wrought-iron candelabra designed by Gaudi.  His most controversial addition is the unfinished Crown of Thorns, fashioned from cardboard and cork and suspended above the altar.  Be sure to walk around to the south front, facing the sea, to look at the Portal del Mirador a 15th-century door by Guillem Sagrera featuring scenes from the Last Supper.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Plaça de la Seu 5, Palma, Spain
See all sites in Palma

Details

Founded: 1229
Category: Religious sites in Spain

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Bianca Ivan (6 months ago)
Absolutely stunning cathedral... this amazing feeling inside from both historic and architectural perspective. Highly recommend to visit if you are in Majorca. You can take your time and enjoy every piece of this beautiful cathedral while sitting on a bench in a cool environment enjoying your ? ??
Adam James (The review guru) (6 months ago)
Absolutely amazing cathedral to visit in Palma. The architecture is astounding both inside and out. The cathedral sits in the centre of Palma, located just down from the main street. Unlike a lot of religious buildings you can actually see the whole of the inside. There are some beautiful murals and the stained glass windows are incredible. Off to the sides are small chapels dedicated to various church figures and disciples. Some took my breath away. For a small fee you can go up onto the roof and look out across Palma. Attached to the side of the cathedral is a small museum with various religious artifacts. This is included in the price of the ticket. It's well worth a visit to see as some of the artifacts are beautifully constructed. Overall well worth the money spent and definitely a sight that needs seeing if your visiting Palma for the day.
Rhys Davis (7 months ago)
Absolutely stunning architecture, gardens, and sights to see. When walking off the shuttle bus you are greeted by this amazing building and it's surrounding gardens. There were a variety of market stalls, entertainers, gardens, buildings, and just all around amazing bits to explore. It naturally gets busy but is very much worth the visit.
Nadezda Musatova (8 months ago)
Huge cathedral this amazing feeling inside from both historic and architectural perspective. Highly recommend to visit if you are in Majorca. Try to do it on in the middle of the July day as we did as many steps to get there and get too hot. Otherwise, you can take your time and enjoy every piece of this beautiful cathedral while sitting on a bench in a cool environment.
Mariana Miranda (9 months ago)
Beautiful place! It's from the gothic architecture age and it's built initially under the famous aragon family. At some point the famous artist gaudi was invited for some art projects inside the catedral, some people also call it ' La seu'
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.