The Catedral-Basílica de Santa María de Mallorca — known simply as La Seu — is one of the most striking Gothic structures in the Mediterranean. Its story began in 1229, when King James I of Aragon, after conquering the island from the Moors, ordered a cathedral to be built on the site of the former Great Mosque, a clear statement of who now spoke for God in this territory.

Construction went on at the usual medieval pace, extending over almost 372 years and reaching completion in 1601, at a time when the Catholic Church in Spain was closely linked with royal power, overseas expansion and a very confident sense of religious authority. Centuries later, at the beginning of the 20th century, the genial architect Antoni Gaudí was invited to redesign the interior, introducing a more open and luminous space, a modest adjustment for an institution that preferred to change the stone before it changed itself.