The Sant Francesc Royal convent in Palma de Mallorca, set in the square bearing the same name, has a beautiful, perfectly conserved Gothic cloister and constitutes one of the first expressions of this architectural style in Mallorca.
It has an irregular quadrangular base, and the galleries are supported on fine columns and pointed lobular arches with fret work of unique beauty.
A short section of the gallery, formed by seven simply designed arches resting on flat eight sided columns, shares a great similarity with the galleries in the Bellver Castle and the Almudaina Palace. The same design is repeated in the columns that support the vault in Palma‘s Cathedral.
The Sant Francesc conventual cloister was built between 1287 and 1390. The Franciscan congregation were favoured by King Jaume the 2nd and during the 13th and 14th centuries Franciscanism held a lot of influence over life in Mallorca, and the Sant Francesc convent became an important cultural centre. The sepulchre of the blessed philosopher Ramón Llull can be found in the church attached to the cloisters.
Plaza de Sant Francesc, 7 (Palma de Mallorca)
Visits: 10:00 a 18:00. Sundays: closed.
