Mallorca Cathedral will host a new edition of Festa de la Llum (Festival of Light) 2026 on Wednesday 11 November, one of Palma’s most remarkable light phenomena. For a few minutes, the sun’s rays will pass through La Seu’s great rose window and project its image beneath the rose window on the main façade, forming a colourful figure eight. The Cathedral will open its doors at 7:30 am, with free admission until capacity is reached.
Photo: Catedral de Mallorca.
This natural spectacle, which occurs only twice a year, attracts numerous residents and visitors keen to witness the combination of light, architecture and geometry inside the Cathedral. The celebration coincides with the feast of Sant Martí, while the other date on which the phenomenon can be observed is 2 February, Candlemas Day.
Opening times and admission for Festa de la Llum 2026 in Palma
The Cathedral will open its doors at 7:30 am on Wednesday 11 November to allow visitors to watch the phenomenon from inside. Admission will be free, subject to capacity, so arriving early is recommended.
The projection occurs in the early morning, when the position of the sun allows light to pass through the great rose window and reach the interior wall of the opposite façade. The programme also includes a Mass at 9:00 am.
How the figure-eight phenomenon forms at Mallorca Cathedral
The centrepiece of Festa de la Llum is La Seu’s great rose window, known as the Ull del Gòtic (Eye of the Gothic), one of the great treasures of Mallorca’s Gothic architecture. Measuring approximately 13 metres in diameter and covering nearly 100 square metres, it consists of 1,115 pieces of stained glass that filter sunlight and project their colours across the Cathedral’s interior.
Twice a year, the Cathedral’s orientation and the position of the sun allow the image of the great rose window to appear directly beneath the rose window on the main façade. The alignment of these two circular shapes creates the distinctive figure eight for which the celebration is famous.
Although the phenomenon appears to be the result of precise architectural calculations, there is no evidence that the rose windows were specifically designed to produce this effect. The Cathedral’s orientation, however, reflects its history: according to the Balearic Islands’ official tourism information, the bell tower points towards Mecca, occupying the site of a former mosque’s minaret.
Festa de la Llum offers an opportunity to discover one of the unique features of Mallorca Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Light, and witness a phenomenon that will occur again on 2 February 2027, coinciding with Candlemas Day.
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