The Festival of Light, the Gothic paintings in the Museum of Sacred Art and the redesign of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament by Miquel Barceló will be the subjects covered in these round tables, which will take place from February to April 2022.
The Cathedral, in collaboration with the University of the Balearic Islands through the Cathedral of Mallorca Chair, has identified the first months of 2022 as the ideal moment to spread knowledge about some of its most notable aspects. The method chosen is these three conferences, which will take place from February to April this year.
The subjects chosen include the famous Festival of Light, which the Cathedral will host a round table about on 1 February, the day before it happens. Just over a month later, on 17 March, an there will be an approach to the Gothic paintings of the Museum of Sacred Art of Mallorca. And on 28 April, the cycle of talks ends with a conference on the work of the artist Miquel Barceló in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament between 2000 and 2007.
Round Table on the Festival of Light: 1 February at 19:00
The Festival of Light is one of the most popular events that takes place in the Cathedral. Every 11 November and every 2 February, the sunlight that enters through the main rose window is projected just below the rose window located in the inner wall of the main portal.
The dates on which the Festival of Light takes place are especially notable: 11 November is Saint Martin’s Day and 2 February, forty days after Christmas, is the celebration of the feast of Candlemas, commemorating the presentation of Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem and the purification of his mother, Mary.
So, on 1 February, one day before the first Festival of Light of 2022, the Cathedral will celebrate a round table which will consider this phenomenon from various perspectives: liturgical, history of the building, history of art, and maths. The speakers will be Dr Miquel Ballester (municipal architectural technician of Campos), Dr Daniel Ruiz (president of the Balearic Mathematics Society SBM-XEIX) and Monsignor Teodor Suau, dean-president of the Cathedral Chapter. The round table will be chaired by Dr Mercè Gambús, director of the “Cathedral of Mallorca” Chair.
Gothic painting in the Museum of Sacred Art of Mallorca: 17 March at 19:00
Just over a month later the Museum of Sacred Art of Mallorca will organise an approach to the Gothic paining of this diocese gallery.
Above all, the Gothic works in the Museum make it possible to trace the history of Mallorcan painting through the 14th and 15th centuries. Whether through examples of European importance or others that reflect a brilliant period for local art, the effect that different social groups had in the development of Mallorcan art can be seen. As can the importance of joint initiative in the patronage of altarpieces, a type of work that was especially appreciated during the Gothic period.
Furthermore, the approach to these examples will make it possible to become more familiar with the culture of Mallorcan society in the 14th and 15th centuries, as well as its aesthetic ideas, tastes and artistic fashions. In a peerless framework that stands out both for its importance and its quality, the talk will be supported with the display of some selected pieces.
