Mallorca Cathedral’s Figure of Festa de la Llum

Mallorca Cathedral is one of the island’s main tourist attractions. Millions of snapshots are taken each day by visitors who marvel at this jewel of gothic architecture and share its image across all corners of the world.

This is a unique cathedral and the volumes of stories attached to each of its features could take up a whole day of your stay if you visit it with a local historian. While it’s a fairly busy place at any time of the year, there are two days of the year when La Seu becomes a never-ending stream of people solemnly waiting to witness a unique moment.

This is the alignment of its two rose windows. It happens every Candlemas and Saint Martin’s Day (2/2 and 11/11 respectively). Experts believe that the rose windows were not purposefully constructed to create this phenomenon, but this only heightens public interest.

The first rays of morning sunshine that illuminate the main facade trigger an explosion of colour from the 1.116 pieces of glass making up the larger stained-glass window, also known as Oculus Maior and the Gothic Eye.

The building’s orientation, by contrast, is intentional. The bell tower is directed toward Mecca, since it stands on the site of the earlier mosque’s minaret.

Even if you can’t witness this phenomenon, the cathedral is still well worth a visit. Pause for a few minutes to gaze up and appreciate the beauty of the greater rose window and the quality of its detailing. You’ll find yourself standing in front of the largest rose window of all European Gothic cathedrals and one of the largest in the history of Christianity.

It measures approximately 13 metres in diameter and its surface area is almost 100 square metres. Built in 1370, La Seu’s famous greater rose window is a source of pride for local people and the perfect incentive to visit our most acclaimed treasure: the Cathedral of Light.