Mallorca is one of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the largest island in Spain and a great holiday destination for Spaniards and Europeans in general. In Palma de Mallorca is the imposing building that you see in the photo: it is the Majorca Cathedral.
It is a cathedral basilica and on the island it is known simply as La Seu. Let us know its history.
Catedral de Mallorca
The Muslims were occupying the island when Jaime I the Conqueror decides to recover it in 1229. From his hand Christianity returns and with it the construction of a temple on the previous mosque that ended up being demolished forever at the end of the XNUMXth century.
At that time, the construction of a temple of these characteristics took many years and this was also the case. More than three and a half centuries, so he had different architects and different plans. The truth is that today the church appears to us as a building of Levantine Gothic styleor (which does not follow the classical French model and leans more towards the German style), with Northern European influences.
Majorca Cathedral measures 121 meters long and 55 meters wide. There is a central nave and other lateral ones. The interior height is wonderful, 44 meters, and it has narrow windows so that the Mediterranean sun is not scorching. The huge rose window It is thanks to this style, precisely.
The rose window is known as the gothic eye and in this case it has a diameter of about 13.8 meters. It is really huge, and it is located above the central altar and not at its feet. In addition to the fact that it has a six-pointed Star of David designed inside.
The main door of the church is on its south façade and is known as the Portal del Mirador, since it looks at the sea. The theme here is "the last supper" and it is said that the intention was to present a Christian theme to the majority of the converted Jews who inhabited the city at that time. On the other side, in the opposite portal, there is a beautiful angel with its wings open.
Another marvel of design are the pillars of the roof, slender and octagonal, with a great height that generates a wonderful internal open space. But beyond these details of architecture or engineering, What treasures does the Cathedral of Mallorca have?
Well, there is the chapel that was built to keep the tomb of Jaime II de Mallorca, the trinity chapel, with two floors, which since the middle of the XNUMXth century has kept the remains of Jaime II and Jaime III of Majorca. El organ It is a Moroccan piece from the 1477th century, on an existing organ box from 1929. In 90 it was modernized, expanding its registers, and restored in the 54s of the 4th century: XNUMX registers, XNUMX manual keyboards and a pedal.
We can then say that the history of the Cathedral of Mallorca covers the 1498th, XNUMXth, XNUMXth, XNUMXth, XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. But it does not stop here and continues to this day. As outstanding milestones throughout these hundreds of years we can say that the bell tower was completed in XNUMX, with nine bells, and that the choir took shape at the end of the XNUMXth century, that the baroque landed in the building during the XNUMXth century. and XVIII and that during the XIX the first restoration was made.
The Cathedral of Mallorca and Antonio Gaudi
It was within the framework of the restoration works at the beginning of the XNUMXth century that Antonio Gaudí, famous for his works in Barcelona, appears. The modified the interior space according to the new pastoral and liturgical commitments, promoted by Bishop Pere Joan Campins. The works took place at the beginning of the XNUMXth century and made it possible to make the choir presbytery, the episcopal chair, the Chapel of the Trinity and the space dedicated to the faithful more visible.
Gaudi basically moved the choir, eliminated the Gothic altarpiece, gave a beautiful canopy to the main altar and added more light with the glass windows. Following the same style, throughout the XNUMXth century, the updating process continued with the opening of the stained glass windows and the post-conciliar adaptation of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, with the signature of the local painter Michael Barcelo.
We owe this Mallorcan artist the beautiful polychrome ceramic mural of 300 square meters of surface with the classic scene of loaves and fishes.
Visit the cathedral of Majorca
The church can be visited and several tour options are available. The general visit with optional audio guide it costs 9 euros and includes the building and the entrance to the Museum of Sacred Art. The visit has two schedules: in winter it is from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 3:15 pm and in summer from 10 am to 5:15 pm, plus Saturdays from 10 am to 2:15 pm.
There is also the tour which includes the guide, precisely, from someone qualified and is done in three languages (Spanish, English and German). And finally, there are the cultural visits focused on different themes such as history, culture, art, the symbology of the cathedral...
Tickets can be obtained online or directly at the ticket office of the building's museum. If your ticket is online, it is not necessary to queue. However, the terraces of the cathedral are really interesting and can be visited in the summer season. That's when you can climb up here and contemplate the city of Palma and its surroundings.
Access to the terraces is limited to people who do not suffer from heart or lung problems or who have vertigo or reduced mobility. And they must be over 8 years old. Those under 18 must go up with the accompaniment of an adult. Another thing to keep in mind is that the cathedral lacks lockers to store bags or suitcasess, so if you have something big and uncomfortable you should leave it at the MASM (museum) premises.
Now, let's not forget that it is a Catholic temple, so you have to enter dressed with decorum, without transparent clothes, with covered shoulders, skirts and shorts to mid-thigh, without bathing suits and stuff.