Basilica de Sant Francesc, Palma de Mallorca

The facade of this 13th century church in Palma (remodelled after it was struck by lightning in the 17th century) is typically Mallorcan - a massive, forbidding sandstone wall with a delicately carved postal and a rose window at the centre. You enter through peaceful Gothic cloisters with orange and lemon trees and a well at the centre.

Inside the church is the tomb of Ramon Llull (1235-1316), the Catalan mystic who became a hermit following a failed seduction attempt and was later stoned to death attempting to convert Muslims in Tunisia. His statue can be seen on the Palma seafront. Outside the basilica is a statue of another famous Mallorcan missionary, Fray Junipero Serra, who once lived in the monastery here. The streets behind the church, once home to jewellers and Jewish traders, are under going a bit of a face lift with new community and organic restaurants.

Placa Sant Francesc, Palma
Tel: +34 971 712695
Open: 9.30AM - 1.00PM, 3.30 - 6.00PM