Cathedral of Mallorca examines Gaudi's acoustics on 20 October

Cathedral of Mallorca (La Seu) in Palma is at the centre of new research into Gaudí's possible acoustic ideas, announced on 20 October 2026. The work examines how the choir, sound boxes and lost sound-reflecting elements may have shaped music and speech inside the Gothic church.

Cathedral of Mallorca research reaches Gaudi congress

The cathedral's research will be presented during the Gaudí International Congress 2026, which runs from 22 to 25 October 2026 at La Pedrera in Barcelona. The venue is outside Palma, but the programme includes several studies of the cathedral's architectural, liturgical and musical history.

Rafel Morro, head of the Mallorca Chapter Archive, will present work on documents connected with Gaudí's intervention. Mercè Gambús of the University of the Balearic Islands will examine the historical reception of the renovation, while cathedral documentalist Sebastián Escalas will present research on liturgy, space and music. the congress programme places these strands within the cathedral's wider Gaudí research.

The acoustic question remains open. Researchers are testing whether the choir was moved from the centre of the nave towards the main chapel partly to improve the projection of sound. They are also studying choir stalls with a resonance box and two sound-reflecting devices.

Gaudi's 1905 model connects sound with the building

One tangible result is a resin model of a lost reflector from the Gospel pulpit. Gaudí designed the element in 1905, and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili reconstructed its geometry from historic photographs. The model offers a way to study a vanished component without presenting its original acoustic purpose as proven.

The research concerns Gaudí's renovation of the cathedral between 1904 and 1915. It therefore links a current scientific investigation with a defined period in the building's modern history. The connection is especially direct in the music study, because the researchers are considering how liturgical use may have influenced the arrangement of space and the movement of sound through the nave.

The published findings stress that the acoustic interpretation still needs technical and documentary confirmation. A reconstruction can test possible effects, but it cannot by itself prove what Gaudí intended. the acoustic investigation also notes that no written Gaudí design for the cathedral has been found.

Visiting Cathedral of Mallorca: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The current news date is 20 October 2026, when the cathedral's new Gaudí research was presented. Its related congress programme runs from 22 to 25 October 2026 in Barcelona.
• The research does not announce a new visitor closure or a changed entrance at the Palma cathedral. A related exhibition, Gaudí in the Cathedral, is listed at the building from 18 June 2026 to 18 June 2027.
• The building stands on Palma's seafront at Plaça de la Seu. The research concerns the nave, choir arrangement and Gospel pulpit, rather than a separate venue elsewhere on Mallorca.

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Frequently asked questions about Cathedral of Mallorca

When was the new acoustic research announced at Cathedral of Mallorca?

The research was announced on 20 October 2026. It examines Gaudí's possible influence on sound within the building.

What does the research examine at Cathedral of Mallorca?

It examines the choir arrangement, resonance boxes and two sound-reflecting devices, including a lost 1905 pulpit element.

Where is Cathedral of Mallorca and how do you get there?

The cathedral is in Palma on Plaça de la Seu beside the seafront. The related congress takes place at La Pedrera in Barcelona from 22 to 25 October 2026.