There are a good one hundred courtyards in Palma de Mallorca, or even more. The nature of a courtyard is to be open to the skies letting in the light and the sun, but also to provide some shade to cool down the temperatures.

Some courtyards are covered today, most often with a glass roof, when originally they were not. I have never seen a courtyard in Palma, though, that was designed to be covered from the beginning and with a solid ceiling. The patio shown here is the exception. I discovered this building and its patio only yesterday. The four storey building can be found near the Rambla, in Carrer de ses Tereses. The ceiling is decorated with a large mural of a very pretty compass rose.

I could not find out more about this peculiar but remarkable building. In my estimation the building dates from the end of the 19th century.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 17th, 2009. The time was 13:02:16.