Cathedral of Minorca: A Catalan Gothic Cathedral in Ciutadella, Spain
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Crown of Aragon, Spanish
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Cathedral
On this page16 sections
History
The Cathedral of Minorca, formally the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Mary, is an active Roman Catholic cathedral in Ciutadella, Spain, and the seat of the Diocese of Menorca. Built under the Crown of Aragon in the Catalan Gothic tradition, it occupies the site of Ciutadella’s former mosque and is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Foundation and medieval construction
After Alfonso III of Aragon conquered Menorca in 1287, he ordered a church to be built on the site of the old mosque. Construction began in 1300 during the reign of his successor, James II. The building was completed in 1362 under Peter IV, creating a major Gothic church within the newly established Christian order of the island.
The cathedral’s history reflects the changing ecclesiastical organization of Menorca. In 1795, after the old bishopric of Menorca was restored, the parish church of Ciutadella became the cathedral of the renewed diocese. This bishopric, meaning both the territory and institution governed by a bishop, had existed from the beginning of the fifth century.
Attacks, fires, and rebuilding
In 1558, an Ottoman assault led by Admiral Pialí Bajá severely damaged the cathedral. The building was sacked and desecrated, then repaired in its original style. A later fire in 1626 caused the vaults of the apse, the polygonal end of the church around the high altar, to collapse. The damaged area was rebuilt with stronger construction.
The cathedral’s appearance changed substantially in the nineteenth century. In 1813, Bishop Juano directed the rebuilding of the main façade in a Neoclassical style. The new front contrasts with the church’s Gothic structure and conceals its earlier Gothic portal.
Twentieth-century damage and restoration
During the first days of the Spanish Civil War, the conflict fought in Spain from 1936 to 1939, the cathedral was again sacked and desecrated. Bishop Bartolomé Pascual directed restoration work from 1939 to 1941. During this intervention, the choir was moved from the nave into the apse, changing the internal arrangement of the church.
Spain designated the cathedral a protected non-movable monument on 3 June 1931. In 1953, Pope Pius XII granted it the title of minor basilica, a papal designation given to certain churches because of their religious and historical importance. A further restoration and development plan began in 1987, the seventh centenary of Menorca’s conquest by the Crown of Aragon.
Remains
The cathedral is a substantial Catalan Gothic building constructed principally from Marès, the traditional local limestone. Its single nave is approximately 44 metres long and 14 metres wide, with an interior height of about 22 metres. Another specification gives the building’s height as 23 metres. The broad interior is covered by a simple cross-rib vault, a ceiling supported by intersecting stone ribs, while internal wall reinforcements provide structural support in place of the external flying buttresses often associated with Gothic churches.
Nave and side chapels
Side chapels and devotional works
Six chapels line each side of the nave. The surviving Porta de la Llum, or Portal of the Light, interrupts the sequence of four chapels on the right. One of the three chapels on the left preserves a Pietà, a devotional image of Mary mourning over the dead body of Jesus. The Capella de la Communió was added in the nineteenth century on a Greek-cross plan and contains a representation of the Immaculate Conception.
Chapel of the Souls
Near the altar, the Capella de les Animes, or Chapel of the Souls, is regarded as one of Menorca’s earliest major Baroque works. Its stonework uses varied Baroque forms. The columns are turned and spiral-shaped, with others resembling palm trunks, and their surfaces carry impressed ornament.
Angelus Chapel
The Baroque Angelus Chapel dates from the beginning of the seventeenth century. Its finely carved columns add a distinct Baroque element to the Gothic interior.
Apse and liturgical furnishings
High altar and episcopal throne
The five-sided, semi-decagonal apse faces east and now contains the choir, which was transferred there during the 1939-1941 restoration. The high altar is formed from a single block of marble and stands beneath a canopy 15 metres high. At the back of the apse is an episcopal throne made of Roman marble, positioned beneath an image of the Virgin in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Pius XII blessed the throne.
Former Gothic furnishings
Earlier furnishings in the apse included a high Gothic baldachin, or canopy over an altar or place of honour, decorated with the seven coats of arms of the island’s municipalities. Choir stalls were arranged around the bishop’s chair and crowned by an image of Mary with the Child. These furnishings were removed during the modernization of the church.
Organ
The present organ was built in 1993 by Blancafort Orgueners de Montserrat. It has 37 stops, which control sets of pipes, distributed across three manuals and a pedal division played with the feet. Its manual divisions are not divided, unlike those of many Spanish organs.
Portals, tower, and exterior
Portal of the Light
The surviving Porta de la Llum is a simple Gothic arch on the south side, facing the sunny side of the building. Its tympanum, the decorated area above a doorway, contains a scene from the New Testament and limited medieval ornament, including small fantastic creatures.
Main façade and bell tower
The principal exterior portal was installed in 1813 in the Neoclassical style. It is surmounted by a large rose window and conceals the earlier Gothic entrance. The exterior also retains buttresses decorated with Gothic gargoyles.
The bell tower partly occupies the foundations of the former mosque’s minaret. A continuous ramp leads to the tower, following the arrangement previously used for the minaret and preserving a physical connection between the cathedral and the earlier building on the site.
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