Cathedral Basilica of Ciutadella de Menorca

Step inside and the nave opens out wide: one broad space under the Gothic vaults, with six chapels ranged along each side. At the far end, the five-sided apse holds the great altar, a single block of marble under a canopy 15 metres high, about the height of a five-storey building. Behind it, beneath an image of the Virgin, stands the bishop's throne, made of Roman marble blessed by Pope Pius XII.

The building wears its history openly. The main front was rebuilt in 1813 in a neoclassical style that clashes with the Gothic body, while the side door, the Portal of Light (Porta de la Llum), keeps some of its medieval carving. Inside, the baroque Angelus chapel dates from the early 17th century, its columns finely carved. Look up for carved figures of animals and people. Ottoman troops sacked the church in 1558, the apse vaults fell in 1626, and it was desecrated again in 1936. Each time it was put back.

• It is a working cathedral: Mass times are posted clearly and weddings are held here, so time a sightseeing visit around the services.
• There are toilets on site, and free public toilets about 170 m away, with a free drinking fountain at a similar distance.
• A tourist information office (Consell Insular de Menorca) is about 35 m from the cathedral.
• The entrance is wheelchair accessible.

The cathedral stands on its own square in the old town of Ciutadella, and every approach ends on foot. The nearest parking areas lie about 160 m and 180 m away in a straight line. By bus, the closest stops are Plaça dels Pins, about 240 m away, and Dalt sa Quintana, about 300 m away. From any of them you walk the last stretch through the town streets and come out in front of the cathedral.

Best: late afternoon for the outside, when the western sun falls on the main façade; for the interior, any time outside Mass and weddings.

Avoid: service times if you have come to look around, and the middle of a summer day, when Ciutadella fills with visitors.

The apse faces east, so the façade at the opposite end takes the evening light, and as a covered sight the cathedral holds up on a rainy day.