Holidays to Palma Majorca
Religious architecture
Palma is a city rich in religious architecture. Churches like Santa Creu, Sant Francesc
and Santa Eulàlia are examples of a cultural legacy well worth discovering.
Scroll down to see all, or use these shortcuts to go straight to the one you fancy
CLAUSTRE DE SANT FRANCESC
ESGLÉSIA DE SANTA EULÀLIA
SANT FELIP NERI
ESGLÉSIA PARROQUIAL DE SANTA CREU
LA CATEDRAL
CONVENT DE SANTA CLARA
CLAUSTRE DE SANT FRANCESC
Plaça de Sant Francesc
Basilica with a single nave and lateral chapels.
It was started during the reign of Jaume II,
in around 1281. The original Gothic church
underwent changes later, such as the
substitution of the beams for a domed roof, or
the replacement of the façade for one with a
doorway by Francisco Herrera. The cloister
which adjoins the church and the convent
is trapezoidal in shape with pointed trefoil
arches. The progression of styles can be seen
from the north gallery, the first to be built, to
the one facing south, which was not finished
until the 15th century.
ESGLÉSIA DE SANTA EULÀLIA
Plaça de Santa Eulàlia, 2
Gothic, 12th-16th centuries.
Neogothic reformation of the
façade, 1894-1924. This is one
of the first churches built after
the Catalan conquest. Other than
the Cathedral, it is the only gothic
church in Majorca with three
naves. These are separated by
two rows of columns and have a
groined vault ceiling. The presbyter
is polygonal shaped with chapels
and an unusual apse aisle. The
main altarpiece is baroque. The
side chapels feature gothic paintings
such as the Sleeping Virgin,
the Catlar altarpiece, as well as
the figures of the Sanskrit of the
Miracle and the Madonna, this last
one by Adrià Ferran. The entrance
on the main façade – presided by
a figure of Santa Eulàlia – and the
pointy, neogothic church tower,
were both designed by Joan M.
Sureda i Verí.
Tel. (+34)
971 714625
Open from: 17.30-
20.30
Saturdays and Sundays:
open during mass
SANT FELIP NERI
Carrer de Sant Felip Neri, 1
The Gothic church from the XI
century was substituted by a baroque
temple, started in 1618
and renovated in 1859. The
church is based on a single nave,
with four side chapels and an apse
with trapezoidal form. The chapels
have a Gothic ribbed vault roof.
The nave has a half-barrel roof design
and that of the apse features
a truncated cone section with pictorial
decoration. The altarpiece is
presided over by an image of the
Virgin Mary and another of Sant
Felip Neri. Worthy also of mention
is the singular chapel of the Virgin
de los Dolores, which features
a different construction to the
rest of the temple. It is based on
an octagonal floor plan, with side
chapels and retrochoir. It was constructed
in the XVI century.
ESGLÉSIA PARROQUIAL DE SANTA CREU
Carrer de Santa Creu
Santa Creu is one of the five
medieval parishes in the city. The
start of the works is documented
as 1335. The church is based on
a single rectangular nave. This
is flanked by two side chapels
that enclose the presbytery and
describe a semicircle. An important
piece is the Virgin Mary with baby
Jesus, from the XV century, which
is situated in a small niche on
the left wall of the chapel of Saint
Joseph. We shouldn’t forget the
chapel of Santo Cristo of Santa
Creu, the object of considerable
public devotion.
LA CATEDRAL
Carrer del Palau Reial, 29.
A Gothic temple (XIV – XVI c.),
although the main gate is from
the late renaissance, finished in
1601, the main façade is Neo-
Gothic dating back to 1855. The
south-facing gate is clearly Gothic,
from the XIV century, while the
north-facing gate, of l’Almoina,
is from the XV century. La Seu
(cathedral) has 6,600m2 of
surface area and, according to
the initial plans, 87 windows and
7 rose windows. Floor with three
naves, with a Gothic ribbed vault
ceiling, suspended by slender
columns. On the central apse one
finds the chapel of The Trinity,
where the sepulchres of the kings
of Majorca Jaume II and Jaume
II are situated. The renovation
works by Antoni Gaudí, in 1904,
eliminated the central choir and
recuperated the Gothic cathedral.
Currently, the chapel of Sant Pere
is being renovated under the
supervision of Miquel Barceló.
CONVENT DE SANTA CLARA
Carrer Fonollar, 2
Built in the 13th century, the
Santa Clara Church was first
altered in the 15th century. The
building as it stands today is the
result of alterations in the 17th
century. However, as these were
basically confined to architectural
decoration, it is still possible to see
the medieval origins of the church
from its structure. Apart from the
portal - Baroque style - and the top
part of the belltower, the design
of the main facade is Majorcan
Gothic. The Baroque elements of
Majorcan convents predominate
in its interior.