Palma de Mallorca Cathedral | Mallorca Travel Guide
[Applause] hey everybody it’s rory i’m in palma de new york of spain and today i’ve decided that enough is enough i can no longer shoulder the heavy guilt i feel for never having set foot inside the famous cathedral here despite living here for years and also living about six minutes walk
From it i mean i routinely go further to get a croissant i’ve passed it a million times i’ve used it surrounding walls to sunbathe eat sandwiches and drink coffee i’ve gazed at it glowing yellowy orange in the late afternoon sun while boozing on some roof terrace and thought i should probably go
In there at some point but i’m not going to do that now because i’m going to have a gin and tonic and then i’m going to go to bed at 7 30 because i’m an old man but today really is the day to set foot inside this mighty gothic structure
The golden sandstone cathedral known locally as laseo or cathedral of light began life in the year 1230 on the foundations of an old moorish mosque but took almost 400 years to complete 120 metres in length and with a staggering interior height of 44 meters taller even than the mighty notre dame
Laseo is one of the most impressive examples of gothic architecture in europe it sits next to the royal palace of la almudina on the ancient roman citadel and looks out majestically over the walls and lake of park de la mar to the mediterranean So Picture it the year is 12 29 you are the spanish king james the first of aragon nice to meet you your highness you and your fleet are sailing purposely towards majorca on a re-conquest mission to capture the island from the occupying moors these bloody moors they were always so
Greedy weren’t they they always wanted more they were like chocolate really weren’t they they were so moorish but by golly gosh if the wind isn’t blowing an absolute gale and the water it’s choppy af in the rapidly deteriorating conditions you’re feeling less than royal right now barfing your paella over the starboard
Side you’re absolutely cacking your knickers utterly convinced you’re destined for a watery grave on your knees and with a gal pal holding your hair out your face you begin to bargain with god oh father deliver me safely to the dry land of majorca and in return i will build one of the
Most impressive gothic churches in europe to honor the glorious virgin don’t get me wrong i’m not going to build it personally i’m the king i’ve got very dainty little hands and i wouldn’t know one end of a hammer from the other i tell you what i’ll get a bunch of
Slaves and people like that to build it well good news it seems you’ve pricked up god’s ears and he likes the sound of your terms because as quickly as the storm appeared the seas fall calm and the hurricane softens to a breeze with blue skies overhead your fleet
Skips the waves to the island completely forgetting of course in about 30 minutes you’re gonna have to launch a bloody siege that will go on for three months with loads of people dying in horrible old-fashioned ways if you walk down the steps in front of the cathedral and come down to the old
Roman wall here you can get a really nice view of the park delamar and the lake which were added to the landscape in the 1960s when the paseo maritimo motorway was being constructed also this spot is a really nice sun trap i mean take a look at this primitive sun lounger for
Soaking up the rays just please be aware of your own limitations if you are a bit clumsy and think you might roll off this thing to your absolute certain death you can just take one of the little stone seats instead A second ago i was up there and now i’m down here utilizing of course the magic of editing but this this right here is where the water originally came up to offering delightful reflections of the cathedral for all those approaching by the water that was back
In the day when people came to new york by galleon and not by ryanair but in order for the proposed multi-lane highway to go ahead the sea needed to be pushed back a few hundred meters however there were demands by demanding people i guess that laseo’s precious reflection
Be preserved hence the lake oh and also just a little tip if you do want a really nice view of the cathedral across the lake there’s a rather good bar over there that you can you can sit at you know i might i might actually just go and then
Sit down and order a beer just so you know what it looks like when somebody sits in a terrace and orders a beer here in mallorca i wouldn’t normally you know because it’s it’s about 12 o’clock it’s a bit early for me and i only drink once a month on special occasions Once inside laseo’s inner belly the incredible height draws your attention immediately the towering central nave flanked by 20 meter columns and arches to each side in pride of place on the eastern end you’ll find the massive 14th century floret stained glass window comprised of 1200 individual pieces of stained glass
Casting pools of red blue and yellow into the interior and hanging over the altar art nouveau architect anthony gowdy’s massive chandelier commissioned in the early 1900s during a bold renovation contrasts strikingly with the original gothic stone backdrop the famed architect of the sagrada familia in barcelona gaudi
Was hired to jazz this place up by the bishop in charge of the refurb after receiving a number of uninspiring proposals so the catalan modernist hopped on a boat no planes yet and got stuck right into the job making some dramatic changes right off the bat changes like stripping away some of the
Earlier baroque editions he didn’t like unbreaking bricked up windows adding new stained glass and completely revamping the interior lighting whilst also designing and adding furniture wrought iron mongering and ceramics to the whole caboodle this guy was basically a one-man ikea of the era but it was the baldichino the chandelier
This huge suspended heptagonal crown that was gaudi’s wait for it crowning glory oh if you like crap jokes like that you’re gonna get plenty more of them on this channel so why don’t you subscribe with 35 lanterns and a sculptural arrangement featuring jesus the virgin and saint john the baldichino
Is actually just a scale mock-up of what was to be the finished installation but anthony had rustled a few of the institutional feathers during his radical overhaul on his main supporter the bishop that commissioned him well he kind of croaked halfway through the job as well
So the rest of the project got benned in 1914 the famed architect would return to barcelona to do art nouveau type things for a while before getting hit by a tram and killed but that’s not where palma cathedral’s creative daring ends no siree bobby because not far off a century later in
2001 a local artist by the name of miguel barthelo was let loose on the chapel here where he proceeded to throw an absolute ton of clay at the walls and then sculpt lots of loaves and fishes all over them a modern art interpretation of jesus’s famous multiplication miracle where he
Basically invented mass production of the philatel fish a couple of thousand years before mcdonald’s did [Applause] [Applause] so [Applause] there’s just something about a pew in a cathedral that makes you want to sit there until you’re dragged out by the cleaners after closing time it’s a combination of the insanely
Ornamental decoration the history the vastness the musty smell the sheer ancientness of these grand churches that just makes you want to sit there with a pensive look on your face pondering well nothing really i’m actually just sitting there pretending i’m in the movie the da vinci code and i’m actually tom hanks Guys that’s about all for today from laseo palma’s famous landmark if you enjoyed my little presentation go on click that like button thanks so much for watching guys and i look forward to seeing you again on the next video
Folks! Join me today for a comprehensive Mallorca travel guide to Palma de Mallorca Cathedral, also known as ‘La Seu’ – Mallorca’s ‘Cathedral of Light’!
In the very heart of Mallorca’s capital Palma de Mallorca, the cathedral, towering above the Parc de la Mar on the edge of the city’s Old Town, is one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in Europe. In this travel guide we’ll explore Mallorca’s most famous landmark – both outside and in – learning about the history of this iconic structure and the legend of how it came to exist.
About me: My name is Ruairidh Mason (pronounced ‘Roo-ray’), from Scotland, but currently based in Mallorca, Spain. In this Mallorca vlog filmed at Palma de Mallorca Cathedral, and in the other features I shoot around Palma and the rest of this amazing island, I hope to show you why Mallorca is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, while cracking a few dud jokes along the way 😉
Have you been to Mallorca? The cathedral? Know the place like the back of your hand? Maybe planning your first trip? I’d love to hear from you in the comments whatever the case, and don’t forget to subscribe and check out my other Mallorca vlogs and vids. Catch you all soon, or as they say here on the island, “adeu!”
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