Catedral d'Eivissa

The Catedral d’Eivissa, the Cathedral of Ibiza, stands at the highest point of Dalt Vila, the walled upper town, and it is the most prominent building on the island’s skyline. It is dedicated to Santa María de las Nieves, Our Lady of the Snows, and it occupies the place where the principal temples and mosques of the town stood in earlier ages, in the usual pattern of Mediterranean cities, with the Christian church built over the site of the Muslim mosque, which in turn probably stood on a Roman and Phoenician sanctuary. The Catalan conquerors consecrated the church soon after 1235, and the cathedral was built and altered over the following centuries. It stands beside the castle on the hill and shares the square, from which the whole town and the harbour are seen below.

The building mixes styles. The bell tower is the oldest part of the standing structure, a Gothic tower from the fourteenth century, with massive stone walls and a simple form that makes it look like a defensive tower, and it was part of the town’s defences as well as a place for bells. The main body of the church was rebuilt in the eighteenth century in the Baroque style, replacing an older nave, and it has a broad, bright interior with a single nave, a series of side chapels, and a rich Baroque altar, with gilded woodwork. The exterior is plain, with white walls and a sturdy tower, which gives the cathedral a solid, rather austere character in keeping with the fortified surroundings.

The cathedral has a small museum, the Diocesan Museum, in an adjoining building, with religious art, goldwork, paintings and sculptures from the island’s churches, and it gives a picture of the religious life of Ibiza through the centuries. Visitors enter the cathedral for a small fee, and the museum has its own ticket, with prices that range from one to five euros for entry to the various museums in the area. Hours vary with the season, and the building is closed on Mondays and to visitors during services, so check before going.

Getting there is part of the experience. Visitors normally enter Dalt Vila on foot through the Portal de ses Taules, the main gate in the walls, about five minutes from the harbour along the Avinguda d’Ignasi Wallis and past the old market, and then climb the steep, winding streets to the top, a moderate walk of fifteen minutes that takes you through the old town. Taxis can drop passengers at the foot of the gate. The slopes are steep and the paving is uneven, so wheelchair access is difficult, and visitors with limited mobility should plan accordingly.

The area around the cathedral has restaurants, galleries and boutiques, and the ramparts of the town, with views of the harbour, the sea and the island of Formentera on clear days, are close by. The streets and walls are free to enter at all hours. Allow about thirty minutes for the cathedral and a few hours for the whole old town.