Architecture & design of Palma Cathedral | A quick overview

Official Name: Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (Catedral de Santa María de Palma de Mallorca), also known as La Seu
Nature of Attraction: Church
Status: Minor basilica
Location: Plaça de la Seu, s/n, 07001 Palma, Mallorca, Spain | Find on Google Maps
Founded: 1229 (construction began shortly after the Christian reconquest of Mallorca by James I of Aragon)
Area: 121 metres (length), 40 metres (width), 44 metres (nave height)
Architectural Style: Primarily Gothic, with later additions in Baroque and Neo-Gothic styles
Main Architect: Initial construction attributed to several medieval architects; significant later contributions by Jaume Martes (columns), with 19th-century Neo-Gothic restoration by architect Juan Bautista Peyronnet and contributions by Antoni Gaudí in the early 20th century.

Who designed the Palma Cathedral?

Various architects were commissioned to design the Palma Cathedral over the years. The names of the builders, architects, and stonemasons involved in its construction between the 13th and 17th centuries are unknown. However, there were several key players in the process:

Bishop Pere de Morella: He initiated the construction and consecrated the main altar in 1230 under the directive of King James I of Aragon.
Jaume Martes: An architect from the late medieval period, he was credited with designing and constructing the cathedral’s slender columns, a hallmark of its interiors’ Gothic architecture.
Juan Bautista Peyronne: A 19th-century architect, he led the monumental restoration of the cathedral’s main façade in the mid-19th century, giving it its current Neo-Gothic gable after structural issues arose.
Antoni Gaudí: As a notable 20th-century architect, he oversaw a major interior restoration from 1904–1915, adapting the space for new liturgical practices. Some of the key changes he made included moving the choir stalls, designing a new canopy for the altar, opening bricked-up windows for more light, and introducing ceramic panels with heraldic motifs.
Miquel Barceló: An early 21st-century architect, he renovated the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament (2001–2006), covering the apse in ceramic and redesigning the furnishings and stained glass to evoke a Mediterranean, underwater theme.

Palma Cathedral History

Key architectural elements of the Palma Cathedral

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The Great Rose Window

The cathedral’s eastern rose window is one of the largest in the world, measuring nearly 14 meters in diameter. Also known as the Eye of the Gothic, it fills the main nave with vibrant light and color, especially in the early morning hours. It’s one of the largest rose windows worldwide.

Stained glass windows

La Seu features 61 stained-glass windows and seven rose windows, creating a magical, luminous atmosphere inside the cathedral. These windows are a hallmark of the building’s Gothic emphasis on light and height.

Three portals

The cathedral features three main portals—the Main Portal (completed in 1601), the Almonia Portal (a side entrance known for its artistic details), and the Mirador Portal (faces the sea and offers a unique waterfront entrance to the cathedral).

Slender columns and the high nave

The interior is supported by exceptionally slender columns, allowing the central nave to soar to 44 meters in height, making it one of the tallest in Europe. The columns are among the narrowest in the world relative to the vault size, contributing to the cathedral’s sense of openness.

Flying buttresses and pinnacles

The exterior is marked by extensive use of flying buttresses and towering pinnacles, classic features of Gothic architecture. These structural elements support the immense height and thin walls. If you book a ticket with access to the cathedral’s terraces, you can also walk onto the buttresses and examine them up close.

Basilica-style floor plan

Palma Cathedral has three parallel naves with corresponding apses, but no transept or ambulatory, resulting in a non-cruciform, basilica-style layout. This enhances the sense of space and height inside.

Neo-Gothic main façade

After an earthquake in 1851, the west façade was reconstructed in a French-inspired Neo-Gothic style, with a prominent gable and pinnacles. Only the main portal retains its original design.

Royal Chapel and Trinity Chapel

The Royal Chapel, the oldest part of the cathedral, houses the elaborate marble tombs of Kings Jaume II and Jaume III of Mallorca. The Trinity Chapel serves as the royal mausoleum and contains significant funerary monuments.

Chapels and altarpieces

Sixteen chapels line the nave, representing a variety of architectural styles from Mallorca’s history. Most chapels feature Baroque altarpieces, while the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament was reimagined in 2007 by artist Miquel Barceló with a striking ceramic mural.

Antonit Gaudí’s modernist interventions

In the early 20th century, Antoni Gaudí redesigned the altar area, introduced a spectacular wrought-iron candelabra, and made other changes to improve natural light and adapt the space for modern liturgical practices.