Everything you need to know to experience the eighth of the Seu

PalmMallorca Cathedral will once again be the stage for one of the most impressive visual events: the figure eight of the Seu. The event will take place on February 2nd at 8:00 AM. Cathedral officials have issued an invitation to islanders and foreigners alike, which has stirred some controversy as it is in Spanish rather than Catalan. The doors will open at 8:00 AM, and access will be through the Almoina portal. The figure eight typically begins to form around 8:30 AM and lasts only about five minutes.

Although the figure eight on the Cathedral of Mallorca has a mathematical explanation, it gives rise to many theories, some more religious and others more far-fetched. Why does a figure eight appear on the interior wall of the main facade every November 11th and February 2nd? For those seeking symbolic meaning with religious roots, February 2nd is Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple (40 days after his birth) and the purification of Mary, his mother, according to an ancient Jewish rite. As for November 11th, it is the feast day of Saint Martin, or Martin of Tours, as he is also known, because he was the bishop of this French city. Regarding objective and scientific facts, the building's orientation is the determining factor in seeing this figure eight on the wall twice a year. The Cathedral of Mallorca is oriented 120 degrees southeast towards the sunrise on the winter solstice. It is precisely this location that allows sunlight to pass through the large rose window, located in the Chapel of the Trinity, and for the light to form a figure eight when positioned directly below the smaller rose window. The east rose window of the Cathedral of La Seu, which is responsible for the famous figure eight, is one of the largest in the world, composed of 1,236 polychrome panes of glass spanning a diameter of 13 meters. The figure eight, as is well known, occurs at sunrise, when the light passes through the east rose window and is projected directly below the west rose window, forming a double disc—one figure eight—in which one circle is made of glass and the other of pure light.