Palma Cathedral architecture

The Palma Cathedral is an iconic Gothic Cathedral located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Its history spans more than 800 years, when James I reconquered the Island from Islamic rule. The cathedral itself is built on the site of a former mosque, and has seen additions at various stages over the years.

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.