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Palma de Mallorca

Monuments

La Seu is Mallorca´s most emblematic building. It lies on the top of a hill, above the city walls and the sea, and it is at the centre of the harbour side of the old quarter in Palma de Mallorca. The building is a tribute to man and his Christian faith, which is expressed in the magnificent beauty of this architectural structure, which was built over centuries; inside the building, lights bursts through the darkness via the windows. It is a work of art which impresses all who come to admire it.

In the 13th century, Jaume I ordained the main mosque, which had been purified, as a temple for Christian worship, dedicated to Santa Maria. This is where La Seu was to be constructed. Mallorca´s cathedral, which was designed for Catholic worship, is connected to the Catalan conquest, and its political links are demonstrated by the fact that it houses the pantheon of Mallorcan kings and that is was the scene for their coronations. The building of the mosque was used until the 14th century while the cathedral was being built, and it is from the mosque that the cathedral has inherited its orientation. When the building had reached the height of the side portal, the mosque was knocked down. In this period the construction design was changed, with the height of the building being raised, which explains the disunity between the east end and the nave of this Gothic building. In 1601 the building was finished and consecrated, though it has subsequently undergone many reforms, the last of which was directed by the architect Antoni Gaudí between 1904 and 1914.

The main façade was reconstructed after the serious damage caused by an earthquake in 1851. It has four large towers and a pediment which includes a relief of the Dormition of the Mother of God, crowned by an image of the Assumption of Mary. Halfway up the façade are four sculptures which represent Ramon Llull, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Catalina Tomàs. The Portal Major (Great Portal), which blends renaissance and mannerist styles, is presided over by an image of the Immaculate Conception which is surrounded by the 15 symbols of the Marian Litany. Above this there is a large rose window, which, at almost 100m2, is the largest Gothic rose window in the world; it is divided into 24 triangles, half of which form the Star of David. The Portal del Mirador (Lookout Portal), next to the sea, is an example of Gothic sculpture, with a bas-relief representing the Final Supper, with God and six angels in the upper part. There are no statues in the empty recesses, which should have been filled when works finished in 1401. The Almoina façade, on the northern side, has large windows which are blocked out by the baroque altarpieces of the interior chapels. The gargoyles here, which represent mythical animals, are remarkable. On this same façade is the bell tower; this is 48 metres high and houses La Seu´s nine bells, including the 4,517 kg bell of Eloi, which has a diameter of 2 metres and which was cast in 1593. Next we see La Casa de l´Almoina (Alms House), which is a rare example of civil Gothic architecture on Mallorca. Its name comes from the alms which were given to the poor here when people came out of mass, and it currently serves as the entrance to the cathedral´s museum.

The layout of La Seu is rectangular and covers an area of approximately 6,600m2, with space for 18,000 people. It is divided into three naves with eight sections, and the east end has an apse for each nave. The central apse contains the high Chapel of Trinity, where the tombs of the Kings of Mallorca Jaume II and Jaume III are found, and the presbytery (also known as the Royal Chapel) where the great altar is housed, above which is a baldachin created by Antoni Gaudí. The lateral sections, between buttresses, are occupied by 16 chapels. The roof is made of ogival or crossed vaults which are supported by 14 impressive octagonal pillars with a height of 21.47 metres, as well as by the lateral walls, which are propped up by buttresses and flying buttresses outside. The stained-glass windows offer an impressive play of light and colour, though many have been covered or are blocked out by altarpieces. Inside the building there are numerous religious paintings and sculptures from many different styles and periods, though the majority are Gothic or baroque. A vast ceramic mural has been recently installed in one of the lateral apses; this is the work of Miquel Barceló - the most renowned contemporary plastic artist in Mallorca. On leaving La Seu visitors can enjoy the baroque 18th century cloister, where it is possible to view Roman remains through a window set into the ground.

Palace

It is thought that the first Roman settlement was built at this spot sometime after 123 BC. Later, when the city was under Moorish rule, an authentic citadel was built, and this served as a residence for the Vali (Moorish governor). It is from this period that the building has taken some of its current features. With the Catalan conquest, in 1229, the building was rebuilt and turned into a residence for the Mallorcan kings. With the disappearance of the Kingdom of Mallorca, the palace became a residence for viceroys and governors. Nowadays it is used as the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain, and it is also a museum and part of the building is occupied by the Military Headquarters.

The palace has a rectangular layout and is enclosed by walls which are flanked by square towers. Of these towers, the Torre de l´homenatge (Tower of Homage) stands out; this tower is also known as The Angel due to the 14th century copper sculpture of the Archangel Gabriel, who was the old patron saint of the city. Next to the street la Costa de la Seu there is the Torre dels Caps (Tower of the Heads), which is so called due to the fact that this is where the heads of executed prisoners were displayed. The current tower is a copy of Perpignan´s small castle. The façade looking out to sea has lost some of its defensive structure, with a series of arches and windows at different levels.

The main entrance is in front of La Seu, and it is from here that the Pati del Rei or Pati d´Honor (Courtyard of the King, or Courtyard of Honour) is accessed. This is where the Gothic-style Chapel of Santa Anna is located, the portal of which is reminiscent of Romanesque art, with mythical animals sculpted into the capitals, which support plain semi-circular archivolts and which are built from Pyrenean marble. Of the numerous rooms within the palace, the Sala del Tinell (also known as Sala del Tron) is of particular note; this was built in the 14th century and is identical to the same room in the Palace of the Mallorcan Kings in Perpignan. In the 16th century, when its roof collapsed, it was modified, with the addition of an intermediate floor supported by cross vaults. There is a second, smaller courtyard, called the Pati de la Reina (Queen´s Courtyard), which has a porched gallery and is where the Chapel of Sant Jaume is located. There are also some baths, very possibly from the Moorish period, which have been preserved.

Castle

Bellver Castle is situated on top of a hill, surrounded by Bellver Wood, which is the largest green area within Palma de Mallorca and which affords spectacular views over the city and the bay. It was constructed by the King of Mallorca Jaume II between 1309 and 1311 as a military fortress and Gothic-style palace. Throughout its history it has always been used more for defence purposes and imprisonment than as a residence for royals or other important personages, and it has always been linked to the conflicts in which the island has been involved. The building has a circular layout and is constructed from Mallorcan mares stone, some of which was extracted from mysterious subterranean quarries which have been drilled into a good part of the mountain at between 40 and 60 metres below the castle. It has four circular towers, one of which - Torre de l´Homenatge (Tower of Homage) - is linked to the main building by a bridge; at 33.37 metres high, this is the tallest of the castle´s towers, and it is divided into four rooms. The bottom room, known as L´olla (The Pot), was deigned as a water deposit with a single opening at the top, but it was transformed into a room for cruelly punishing many of the prisoners held at the castle. The castle´s central area is occupied by the Pati d´Armes (Arms Courtyard), which is circular and which has a tank neck in the centre giving access to a large water deposit, which occupies almost the entire subsoil. At the same level as the courtyard there is a corridor which surrounds and provides access to the rooms in the lower section, forming a perimeter of semicircular arches, above which there is another corridor with ogival arches, which provides access to the main rooms of the top floor. Amongst the castle´s rooms, most of which have cross-vaulted ceilings, we find the royal rooms, the Chapel of Sant Marc and a large kitchen.

One of the castle´s most illustrious prisoners was Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos - an old minister of Carlos IV of Spain - who was imprisoned at Bellver from 1802 until three years before his death in 1811. He wrote part of his works here and documented his imprisonment.