We reveal 5 secrets of the city of Palma

In May, we published on the Es Princep blog, five little-known curiosities about the city of Palma. We talked about the Cathedral, the façade of the town hall, and Bellver Castle.

As we received many requests for more information on other hidden secrets of Ciutat, we decided to do a bit more research. Here is a new entry on things that almost no one knows about Palma.

The Mummy of a Dragon in the Diocesan Museum

In the 17th century, a fearsome dragon was said to live underground in the city, according to legends. It was suspected that the beast lived near the walls of what is now the Parc de la Mar. It was said to have kidnapped children, who were never seen again because the dragon devoured them in its lair.

One night, the knight Bartomeu Coch, known for his courage and bravery, went out to find the dragon. He found it near the wall and killed it to offer it as a token of his love to his beloved.

The dragon in question was mummified and is currently housed in the Diocesan Museum. Known as the Drac de na Coca, it is a specimen of a tropical crocodile, unknown in Mallorca, which probably arrived aboard a ship. It was a true monster for the popular imagination of that era, and today it can be visited.

The Bench of the Lazy, in Front of the Town Hall

The façade of the town hall hides a dragon—unrelated to the legend—and a snail, signatures of the artisans who designed it. But the large stone bench that is part of the structure also has its own story.

It is known as the bench of the lazy, or the idle, and in Mallorcan it is called “sinofós” because in this language there is the expression “si no fos per…” which means “if it weren’t for…” This phrase was used by those not fond of work as an argument and excuse to remain sitting in the sun.

The Portopí Lighthouse, the Third Oldest in the World

And the second oldest in Spain. The extremely short list is headed by the Tower of Hercules, closely followed by the Lantern of Génova. The Portopí Lighthouse is next and is still in operation.

It is one of the symbols of Palma’s landscape and a witness to maritime history, landings, battles, escape attempts, and a thousand more stories that have been lost in the memory of the centuries.

At the lighthouse, you can also visit a museum that features an exhibition tracing the history of maritime signalling and its technological evolution.

Saint Sebastian: The Relic That Can Be Seen in the Cathedral

Palma was a highly coveted place because of its strategic location. The downside is that, precisely because it was a port city, it was always more exposed to the arrival of epidemics and deadly diseases, like the Plague in the Middle Ages.

Saint Sebastian was named the patron saint of Palma because he was believed to have directly intervened in the eradication of the Plague in the city. After the miracle, he was named the patron saint of Palma. The relic that performed the miracle is the saint’s arm bone, which can be seen in the Cathedral.

The Rose Window of the Cathedral, the Largest in the World

Mallorca's Cathedral is the third tallest in Europe and has been declared a Historic-Artistic Monument. Its vault stands 44 meters high, the largest bell weighs more than 4,500 kilos, and the rose window, with a diameter of over thirteen meters, is the largest in the world among all Gothic cathedrals.

It consists of 1,236 colored glass pieces that let light into the interior. Twice a year, the light crosses the central nave to create an eight right below the rose window. This event, which attracts many visitors, is known as the "spectacle of the eight.