Palma Cathedral

La Seu was begun in 1229 after James I took Mallorca and completed over four centuries, standing on the site of the main mosque directly above the harbour, so it is seen from the sea before anything else. Its nave columns are unusually slender and tall, and the rose window on the east front, nearly fourteen metres across with over a thousand pieces of glass, is the largest in Gothic architecture. Between 1904 and 1914 Gaudi was brought in to reorder the interior, moving the choir, opening up the sanctuary and hanging a wrought-iron canopy over the altar; he left before finishing after disputes. In 2007 Miquel Barcelo completed a ceramic mural covering a side chapel in a mass of clay fish, bread and skulls.

What's there

• The rose window - the largest in Gothic architecture, nearly fourteen metres across.
• The Gaudi reordering - the moved choir and the wrought-iron altar canopy.
• The Barcelo chapel - a ceramic mural of fish, bread and skulls from 2007.
• The seafront position - the cathedral rising directly above the harbour.

When to go

March to June and September to November; twice a year, in early February and November, the sun projects the rose window onto the wall beneath the western one, an alignment that draws crowds. Summer is hot and crowded.

Practical notes

Tickets are relatively expensive and queues form in season. The cathedral closes on Sundays to visitors and for services. The Gaudi work is partial, since he abandoned the commission unfinished.

Nearby

The Almudaina palace is next door; Palma's old town and Bellver castle lie behind and above.

Key facts