Palma Cathedral

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma, Majorca, Spain. It was built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long and 55 metres wide. Its nave is 44 metres tall. 

The cathedral was styled in the Catalan Gothic style. It has Northern European influences. The building was it was started by King James I of Aragon in 1229. It was finished building in 1601. It sits within the old city of Palma. It is on top of the former citadel of the Roman city. It is between the Royal Palace of La Almudaina and the episcopal palace. It overlooks the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea.

Fifty years after a restoration of the cathedral had started in 1901 Antoni Gaudí was invited to take over the project. Some of his ideas were adopted. He moved the choir stalls from the middle nave to be closer to the altar. He also made a large canopy. Gaudí abandoned his work in 1914 after an argument with the contractor. The planned changes were cosmetic rather than structural. The project was cancelled soon after.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma was one of 100 finalists for the 12 Treasures of Spain in 2007.

References

Other websites
 "Cathedral of Palma: La Seu", Video in english, 3:33 min., Mallorca TV Teleweb+ 
 La Seu Cathedral History 
 La Seu Cathedral in www.mallorcawebsite.com 
 Almudaina Palace 

Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Spain
Category:12 Treasures of Spain - Finalists
Category:13th-century buildings and structures
Category:Palma de Mallorca