CATHEDRAL

This is the most important monument on the Balearic Islands. The Cathedral of Palma, popularly known as ‘La Seu’, is also the seat of the dioceses of Mallorca. Its style is primarily Gothic, but the different additions through the centuries reveal the entire history of Mallorcan art, including a recent intervention by Miquel Barceló in the Capilla del Santísimo (Chapel of the Most Holy).

Construction on the Cathedral of Palma got underway in the early 14th century. It was built over the site that used to be occupied by a mosque, which was gradually demolished as the Cathedral was built. Construction lasted three centuries, and because of its location, height and artistic and architectural features, it gradually took shape as a unique temple. Finally, construction was finished in 1601 with the conclusion of the Portal Mayor (Main Portal).

The first architect was Ponç des Coll, who began by building the Chapel of the Trinity. Ponç was followed by Jaime Fabre, also the architect behind the Santo Domingo church in Palma and the Barcelona Cathedral. Later, between 1314 and 1327, what is today the Royal Chapel was built. In the mid-14th century, construction continued with three naves not called for in the original design, which featured a single nave. Between the early 15th and the late 16th centuries, the northern vault and the Almoina portal were finished, and in the first year of the 17th century, the Portal Mayor was finally concluded. It is also worth pointing out that the vaults were torn down several times during the 17th and 18th centuries due to the slimness of the pillars compared to the span of the arches.

With regard to the Mirador portal, formerly called the Apostles portal, we know that it was designed in 1389 by Pere Morey, leading master of the Cathedral. In the 15th century, the famous Mallorcan master sculptor Guillem Sagrera, mastermind of the Lonja of Palma, also contributed his work. We are certain that he is the author of the statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the central image of the virgin, now replaced by a copy while the original is housed in the Chapterhouse Museum, is also attributed to him. In the tympanum there is a relief depicting the Last Supper, the work of Johan de Valencines, topped by a figure of the Eternal Father, and embellishing the archivolts you can see an angelic court playing a variety of musical instruments. The Mirador portal is the most monumental Gothic portal on the Balearic Islands, and it dates from the period when Gothic art reached its peak splendour on Mallorca.

In the 20th century, the church underwent a refurbishment led by Antonio Gaudí between 1904 and 1914. It was promoted by the bishop of the diocese at that time, Pere Joan Campins. This refurbishment was harshly criticised, especially because it destroyed many elements of the Cathedral such as the Corredor dels Ciris (Candle Hallway) in the Mudejar style.

And the contributions do not end there, because in early 2007 a ceramic mural was added to one of the Cathedral’s chapels, a work by internationally renowned Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló.