Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Spain - Balearic Islands - Mallorca (4)


A sight of Almudaina Palace (front) and La Seu Cathedral (behind) in Palma de Mallorca.

The fourth of the eight postcards sent by Gerard from Majorca.

This is from Wikipedia : La Seu is a gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, built on the site of an existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and 44 meters of nave height. Designed in Spanish "levantino" Gothic style with influences of the North European gothic, it was founded by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but finished only in 1601. It sits overlooking the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea, protected by the old town walls. There are currently peregrines nesting high up on the east side of the cathedral which fly around the building preying on swifts and rock pigeons.

Fifty years after a restoration of the Cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited in 1901 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. The project was cancelled soon after. Floor plan of La Seu

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