Sa Llotja

In front of you is Sa Llotja, the merchants' exchange. If the cathedral expresses the power of the Church and the Almudaina that of the Crown, this building expresses the power of the traders who made Mallorca a force in the Mediterranean.

1Commissioned by merchants

In 1409 King Martin allowed the merchants to form their own guild and to build an exchange. Construction was led by Guillem Sagrera between 1426 and 1452. Sagrera was both architect and sculptor, but he did not finish the job: after a lawsuit with the promoters he left for Naples in 1447, where he worked on the Castel Nuovo.

2A forest of stone palm trees

The interior is a single hall with four naves of equal height, supported by six spiral columns without capitals that open into the vault like palm trunks. Deals were struck here, prices were set and disputes were settled. The design was later imitated in the Silk Exchange in Valencia.

Above the main door, an angel holds a scroll with the words «defenedor de la mercaderia»: defender of trade.

Today it hosts temporary exhibitions; when one is on, it can usually be visited. From outside, the gargoyles and turrets are enough to grasp its ambition.

3What to look for

• The guardian angel above the eastern door.
• The gargoyles jutting out beneath the battlements.
• The statues of saints on the corner turrets.