02/03/2018
DID YOU KNOW THAT....?
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8 facts and curiosities about the Mallorca Cathedral La Seu
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1.La Seu is not only one of the largest Gothic churches in Spain, the eastern main rosette is even considered to be the largest in the world with a diameter of almost eleven meters. The more than 1,200 pieces of colored glass are composed into patterns and floral ornaments and were created in the 14th century.2. The central nave of the Mallorca cathedral has a height of 44 meters, making it one of the tallest in Europe. The two aisles measure 30 meters each. Overall, La Seu is 109.50 meters long and 33 meters wide.
2.Long time ago, the walls of the cathedral and the bishop´s palast stretched out to the sea. Even today, the small harbor can still be seen below the Almudaina Palace next to the cathedral. The Almudaina Palace is located next to the Cathedral La Seu in Palma and is the official residence of the King of Spain. In the 1960s, an artificial lake was created below the cathedral which is meant to remind visitors that the city walls once reached the sea. The lake is part of the Parc de la Mar in which open-air screenings of popular movies are offered free of charge in summer time.
3.Before the Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudi was tragically approached by a tram in Barcelona, he left his signature in the Mallorca Cathedral of Palma. Gaudí made important structural changes and optimized the acoustics. He removed the baroque altar and exposed the old gothic altar. But the famous architect was too creative for the conservative churchmen because he wanted to bring in too many Art Nouveau elements in the Gothic cathedral and so they stopped his work. The chandelier above the high altar still gives an impression of Gaudi’s original design. In 1914 Gaudi finished work on the Mallorca Cathedral La Seu.
4.Also the local artist Miquel Barceló left his mark on La Seu Cathedral. He designed the beautiful three-piece ceramic altar in the St. Peter’s Chapel and processed 15 tons of clay. At the inauguration in 2007, also the royal couple Juan Carlos and Dona Sophia of Spain joined the celebration.
5.In 1851, large parts of Palma Cathedral were destroyed in an earthquake. The reconstruction and renovation work was partly done in the artificial neo-Gothic style, to the suffering of the originally sublime essence of the cathedral.
6.The Cathedral of Palma has a fortified bell tower with a total of 9 bells. The bell ‘N’Eloi’ is especially worth mentioning because of its size. It has a diameter of 2 meters and weighs incredible 4,517 kilos.
7.The 15-meter-high entrance gate, which is faced to the sea, the El Mirador portal, is one of the most beautiful vestiges of Spanish pointed arch architecture.
8.The built area of the Mallorca Cathedral La Seu is 6,600 sqm and can accommodate 18,000 people. However, the cathedral is never crowded.