5. Palma Cathedral

This is the view at Palma Cathedral. Taken from : www.flickr.com

The fifth cities that im going to share is The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, more commonly referred to as La Seu (a title also used by many other churches), is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma, Majorca, Spain, built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and its nave is 44 metres tall. By way of comparison, the height of the central nave reaches 33m in Notre Dame de Paris, 38m in Reims, 42m in Notre-Dame d'Amiens and 48m in Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, the highest of all Gothic cathedrals.

Designed in the Catalan Gothic style but with Northern European influences, it was begun by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but finished only in 1601. It sits within the old city of Palma atop the former citadel of the Roman city, between the Royal Palace of La Almudaina and the episcopal palace. It also overlooks the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea.

In 1901, fifty years after a restoration of the cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited to take over the project. While some of his ideas were adopted – moving the choir stalls from the middle nave to be closer to the altar, as well as a large canopy – Gaudí abandoned his work in 1914 after an argument with the contractor. The planned changes were essentially cosmetic rather than structural, and the project was cancelled soon after.

This is the picture of the view at Palma Cathedral. Taken from : www.jamesrwilson.com

The glory of Palma Cathedral

Anything you see inside Palma cathedral will come as a disappontment once you have stood on the seafront and gazed up at its golden sandstone exterior climbing above the old city walls. La Seu stands out from its surroundings, a demonstration of the might of Mallorca's Christian conquerors to all who arrived by sea.

Tradition has it that a storm arose as Jaume I was sailing towards Mallorca. He vowed that if he landed safely he would build a great church in honour of the Virgin on New Year's Day 1230, a day after the fall of Palma, the foundation stone was symbolically laid on the site of the city's main mosque. Work continued for 400 years - and had to resume in 1851 when an earthquake destroyed the west front. More touches were added this century by the Catalan architeat, Antoni Gaudi.

You enter through a side door, passing a small museum, head for the west portal and gaze down the long nave. Light pours in through the rose window - one of the world's largest, 12m across and studded with 1,236 pieces of stained glass. The columns are ringed with wrought-iron candelabra designed by Gaudi.  His most controversial addition is the unfinished Crown of Thorns, fashioned from cardboard and cork and suspended above the altar.  Be sure to walk around to the south front, facing the sea, to look at the Portal del Miradon a 15th-century door by Guillem Sagrera featuring scenes from the Last Supper.

This the picture of the instructure of Palma Cathedral buildings. Taken from : www.historvius.com