Palace of the Kings of Majorca, Gothic fortress in Perpignan, France
The Palace of the Kings of Majorca is a Gothic fortified palace on a hill south of Perpignan. Its plan is organised around three courtyards about 60 m square. Walls of uncut stone and brick bound with mortar were coated with lime and painted; doors, stairs and main towers use cut stone such as ochre stone from Les Fonts, Baixas Blue, red marble from Villefranche-de-Conflent and white and blue marble from Ceret.
James II of Majorca made Perpignan the capital of his kingdom in 1276 and began building the palace on the Puig del rey hill, completing it in 1309. After James III died in 1349, the Kingdom of Majorca was annexed to the Crown of Aragon and the palace became a secondary residence. In 1415 Emperor Sigismund met Antipope Benedict XIII here to press him to end the Western Schism; Benedict refused.
Two separate chapels sit within the palace: one reserved for the queen on the lower floor and another featuring pink marble details on the upper level. Visitors can observe how religious spaces were woven into daily court life.
Visitors can explore the grounds on foot, with the courtyards serving as good orientation points throughout the site. Stairs and passages are narrow in places, so allow time to navigate comfortably and wear suitable footwear.
The palace's Great Hall combines the seat of political power, the royal residence and a chapel, whose position opposite the throne room shows the spiritual over the temporal. The chapel plan follows the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
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