Palacio de la Almudaina:

As its name suggests, the Palacio de la Almudaina was originally a citadel build by the Moorish governers just outside the city walls. It is perched on an escarpment that overlooks Palma bay. The citadel had a solid outer wall (much of which is still standing today) that sheltered a rectangular building complete with five battelmented towers. Although the royal court had its official residence at Perpignan, Jaime II wanted to restore the citadel for his summer palace and so called in Pedro Salvá - the same architect who directed the construction of the Bellver Castle - to do so.

Jaime II modified the orginal citadel to a large extent to combine the solidity of the original Moslem construction with the rich appointments and confortable design required by the Majorcan court. Thus, in 1309, the reconstruction began. By the time it was finished, four battelmented towers, a portico, and an airy ogival loggia on the seaward side had been added - among other things. The King also decreed the construction of a Royal Chapel, know as Chapel of Saint Anne. It is quite small but exeptionelly beautiful. Its Romanesque portal is one of the rare examples of this style of architecture on the island. A retablo of San Julian (1465) by Majorcan painter Rafael Mojer hangs in the inside

.A statue/pendant of an Angel by Antonio Camprodon, a Perpignan native, flies over one the four towers and can be seen clearly from some distance away. Camprodon also worked at Jaime II's behest at transforming the Moorish fortress. Today, the Almudaina Palace houses the " Capitanía General", or Harbor Office, of the Balearic Islands. It contains numerous works of art, including Flemish tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries that illustrate episodes from the battel of Lepanto (1571), in which the Spanish and Venetian fleets jointly defeated the Turkish fleet. The welcoming, shady gardens in front of the palace were designed by S'Hortdel Rei.

They boast gushing water fountains and a mobile donated to the city of Palma by the famous contemporary sculptor Alexander Calder.

© Copyright 2003 Stephen Wood S.L.