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The two of them will spend a few days in the Serra de Tramuntana visiting Johann and other friends on the island, while Joseph de Ca'th Lon and Alessandra enjoy some football and culture in Piedmont. This evening, there is a very interesting UWCL match taking place in Torino.
There are buildings that belong to a city, and there are buildings that become the very soul of a place. The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, universally known as La Seu, undoubtedly belongs to the second category.
Rising majestically above the ancient walls of Palma, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the cathedral has welcomed sailors, travellers and visitors for centuries. Its extraordinary silhouette, standing beside the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, is one of the most magnificent sights in the Mediterranean.
For those arriving in Mallorca by sea, La Seu is much more than an architectural landmark. It is a reminder of the island's history, its medieval kingdom, its cultural heritage and its enduring relationship with the sea.
Today, 11 November, Saint Martin's Day, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma have travelled to Palma to enjoy one of the cathedral's most fascinating secrets: the extraordinary Festival of Light.
The history of La Seu is closely connected with the medieval Kingdom of Mallorca. In 1229, King Jaume I conquered Madina Mayurqa, bringing the island under Christian rule. The city's principal mosque was subsequently consecrated for Christian worship, and plans were made to construct a great cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary. However, the monumental building we admire today began to take shape particularly during the reign of Jaume II of Mallorca, who ruled from 1276 to 1311.
The cathedral became a symbol of the new kingdom's religious and political identity. Its Royal Chapel and Chapel of the Trinity were closely associated with the Mallorcan monarchy, whose history remains embedded in the building's stones. Construction continued for centuries, and the main structure was finally completed during the seventeenth century.
La Seu is therefore not merely a medieval monument. It is a remarkable architectural record of Mallorca's history, reflecting the ambitions, beliefs and artistic achievements of successive generations.
La Seu is one of the great masterpieces of Mediterranean Gothic architecture. Its soaring columns, immense vaults and extraordinary proportions create an overwhelming sensation of height, space and harmony. Unlike the darker interiors of many medieval churches, Palma Cathedral seems to embrace the Mediterranean sunlight.
Light enters through its numerous stained-glass windows, transforming the vast stone interior into a constantly changing landscape of colours and shadows. Its enormous eastern rose window, often called the Gothic Eye, is among the most remarkable features of the building. Composed of 1,115 pieces of coloured glass, it creates a spectacular display of geometric patterns and light.
Standing beneath the vaults of La Seu, visitors can appreciate how medieval architects combined engineering, geometry, religious symbolism and artistic imagination to create something truly extraordinary.
The cathedral is a monument to human ingenuity, but also to the generations of anonymous craftsmen who transformed stone, glass and mathematical knowledge into beauty.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, another extraordinary chapter began in the history of La Seu. Antoni Gaudí, one of Catalunya's most celebrated architects, was invited by Bishop Pere Joan Campins to reorganise the cathedral's interior. Between 1904 and 1915, Gaudí undertook an ambitious liturgical restoration intended to recover the original spatial clarity of the Gothic building and bring the congregation closer to the religious ceremonies. He rearranged elements of the choir, improved the visibility of the high altar and introduced new decorative and lighting features. Among his most striking contributions is the extraordinary canopy suspended above the altar, an innovative structure that combines religious symbolism, geometry and artistic experimentation.
Gaudí also designed remarkable decorative elements and lighting arrangements, integrating his personal artistic language into the medieval surroundings. His intervention was not an attempt to replace Gothic architecture with Modernisme. Rather, it was a dialogue between different centuries, demonstrating how a historic monument can remain alive through artistic transformation.
Today, La Seu preserves this fascinating encounter between medieval craftsmanship and modern creativity.
Twice a year, on 2 February, the Feast of Candlemas, and 11 November, Saint Martin's Day, La Seu becomes the setting for an extraordinary astronomical and optical phenomenon. Shortly after sunrise, sunlight passes through the cathedral's great eastern rose window and projects its colourful image onto the interior wall of the opposite façade. For a few precious moments, the projected circle appears immediately beneath the western rose window, creating the shape of a gigantic figure eight. This remarkable spectacle is known as El Vuit de la Seu, or The Eight of the Cathedral, and forms part of the traditional Festa de la Llum, the Festival of Light. The phenomenon results from the relationship between the cathedral's orientation, its architectural proportions, the position of the rose windows and the seasonal movement of the Sun across the sky. It is a beautiful demonstration of the meeting between geometry, astronomy and architecture. Although the cathedral was built centuries before modern astronomical instruments, its architecture reveals the importance of observing the natural world and understanding the behaviour of light. Whether the phenomenon was deliberately planned in its present form remains a matter of historical interpretation. What is certain is that the resulting spectacle has become one of Mallorca's most treasured traditions. For a brief moment, the cathedral itself becomes a magnificent instrument of light.
The date of 11 November also invites us to remember Saint Martin of Tours, one of the most influential saints of medieval Christianity. Born in the fourth century, Martin served as a Roman soldier before embracing religious life and eventually becoming Bishop of Tours. According to his most famous legend, he encountered a poor man suffering from the cold and divided his military cloak into two pieces, giving one half to the stranger. That night, Martin reportedly dreamed that Christ was wearing the piece of cloak he had shared. The story became a powerful symbol of compassion, generosity and Christian charity. Because of his military background and his traditional representation on horseback, Saint Martin became particularly important in medieval military and equestrian culture.
Long before Saint George became one of the most celebrated models of Christian knighthood, Martin's image as a mounted soldier had already acquired considerable religious significance. Their legends, however, communicate different ideals: Saint Martin represents generosity and mercy, while Saint George, the legendary dragon-slayer, became an emblem of courage, protection and victory over evil.
Both saints remind us that medieval chivalry was associated not only with military strength but also with moral and spiritual values.
As The Grandma and Claire Fontaine leave the cathedral, the Mediterranean sunlight starts to illuminate its ancient walls. La Seu has witnessed the rise and transformation of kingdoms, the evolution of artistic styles and the passage of countless generations. Its stones preserve history. Its vaults express human ambition. Its stained-glass windows transform sunlight into colour. And twice a year, when the Sun reaches the right position in the sky, the cathedral reveals one of its most extraordinary secrets. Perhaps that is the true magnificence of La Seu: it is not simply a monument to be admired, but a place where history, science, art and nature continue to meet.
Unfortunately, this year's Saint Martin's Day brought an unexpected guest: clouds. Around 1,900 visitors gathered to witness the spectacle, but the Sun remained hidden, reminding everyone that even the most magnificent architecture must sometimes surrender to nature.
Some buildings are made of stone. Others seem to be made of history and light. La Seu is both.
More information: Catedral de Mallorca
La línia recta és dels homes; la corba és de Déu.
The straight line belongs to man; the curve belongs to God.
Antoni Gaudí
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