The Architects Must’ve Been Crazy: La Catedral de Sevilla

(Through the magic of Google Maps!) From top to bottom: the Seville Cathedral, the Archivo de Indias, and the Alcázar.

On Friday, I visited the third part of Seville’s UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Seville Cathedral. As discussed in previous posts, I had already visited the Alcázar and the Archivo de Indias, so this was the final piece of the puzzle! The three places are very close to one another, and make up a very interesting “sampler” of Sevillian history.

The Cathedral is way too big to fit in one picture, so here’s a photo of the “front door”! The statue at the bottom is a replica of the statue that sits atop the Giralda (the highest bell tower of the Cathedral). The one on top of the Giralda catches the breeze and spins like a weathervane!

The Seville Cathedral (or, La Catedral; or, Catedral de Santa María de la Sede) is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and the third-largest cathedral in the world (behind St. Peter’s in The Vatican and St. Paul’s in London.) Construction on the Cathedral began in 1402 after Seville had become a major trade center following the Reconquista, and was completed in 1506 (104 years later!!).

My photography cannot successfully communicate how insanely huge this cathedral is.

According to our tour guide, local legend says that clerics at the time said something along the lines of, “Let’s build a church so beautiful and large that anyone who sees it will think we were mad.” I think that’s saying something!

La Giralda (left) with the main body of the Cathedral (right.)

As with many Spanish Cathedrals built during and following the Reconquista, the Seville Cathedral was built on the site of a former mosque. The Giralda, the Cathedral’s bell tower, was a minaret from the mosque that stood on the site during Seville’s period of Muslim rule. When the Cathedral was built, the minaret was converted into a bell tower. Up until very recently, this was the highest point in the city of Seville. (More on that later in this post!)

The tomb of Christopher Columbus.

Something that’s definitely worth noting about the Seville Cathedral is that it houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus! How he came to rest there is a very interesting story. Christopher Columbus died in Spain, but in his will he stated that he wanted to be buried in the New World. However, he was first interred in Valladolid, Spain, then at the monastery of La Cartuja in Seville, then in the present-day Dominican Republic, then in Havana, Cuba, then finally in the Seville Cathedral! In 2003, to test claims that the wrong remains had been brought to Seville, DNA tests were conducted to compare the remains to the remains of Ferdinand Columbus (Christopher Columbus’ son), who is also buried in the Seville Cathedral. The test was positive, but some doubt still looms to this day.

It takes your breath away!

I’m not even going to pretend I can tell all of the stories contained inside this cathedral, but here are some of my favorite pictures and any accompanying “fun facts” that go with them:

La Giralda (and orange trees, as per usual!) La Giralda is 104.1 meters tall, which is about 31 stories!

Patio de los Naranjos (“Patio of the Orange Trees”!) Part of the remains of the former mosque.

The altar piece is currently undergoing renovations. (They actually have a full-size photo of the alter piece in its place to cover up the construction!) It’s expected to be completed in April, and some of my friends and I want to attend a mass at the Cathedral once it’s finished! Much like a comic book, the alter piece depicts the life of Jesus in images (since many people at the time of the Cathedral’s construction were illiterate.)

The pipe organ, constructed from mahogany imported from the New World!

Stained glass window depicting La Giralda!

1656 Murillo painting: The Vision of St. Anthony. In 1874, thieves cut out the portion of the painting depicting the Saint (you can somewhat see the outline around him where it had to be restored.) The thieves tried to sell the fragment to an art gallery in NYC. However, the gallery owner was a fan of Murillo’s work, so he recognized it and sent it back to Spain!

Another view of el mausoleo de Colón (Columbus’ tomb). The four men carrying the coffin represent the four original kingdoms of Spain. Additionally, there are pomegranate details, as it was in Granada (“pomegranate”) that the King and Queen decided to fund his original journey to the New World.

Part of the Coro (Choir).

Statue of King Fernando III, the conquerer of Seville, receiving the keys to the city.

Our tour guide discussed the “fear of the void”: architects’ “fear” of leaving any blank space unadorned.

And here are the “keys to Seville”! (Symbolic, of course!)

The keys to the city, and other relics, are held within the Tesoro.

The ceiling of the Sala Capitular, where important meetings were held. The room is acoustically designed so that all sound carries equally, so everyone’s opinion can be heard!

After touring the Cathedral, we had the chance to climb to the top of La Giralda. When the Giralda was still part of a mosque, it was used to send out the Muslim call to prayer. For efficiency, people would often ride donkeys or horses to the top of the tower. Therefore, there are no stairs! Instead, there are ramps! Lots and lots of ramps.

One of the (many) ramps leading to the top of the Giralda. There are 35 in total!

35 steadily-inclining ramps lead to the top of the tower. It’s not extremely strenuous, but it is repetitive. Thankfully, there are some nice views out the windows along the way!

The windows provide opportunities (read: excuses) to take a breather as you climb the tower.

Plus, the views from the top are completely worth it!

Beautiful!!

Looking at the shadow of the Giralda from the top of the Giralda!

Now for some controversy: For many years, Seville had ordinances that prevented buildings in the city center from being taller than the Giralda. This is a common practice in many cities to keep iconic buildings from being obstructed in the city skyline. However, a few years ago, CaixaBank/Cajasol began construction on a skyscraper with a modern design that is taller than the Giralda! From what I’ve heard, they aren’t breaking any rules because the new building is outside the city center and further down the river. However, many people in Seville are not happy about the legacy of their beloved Cathedral being challenged.

View of the Cathedral with the new CaixaBank/Cajasol skyscraper under construction in the background.

Another view of the city! The Plaza del Toros (bullfighting ring) is visible towards the right side!

There are actually buildings in the US that mimic the architecture of the Giralda. Examples include a replica in Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri (Link), and the Wrigley Building in Chicago (Link).

Those who climb towers together, stick together!

Overall, the Seville Cathedral was another amazing location to visit. As with many of the places in Seville I’ve been to so far, I don’t think it’s possible to fully appreciate everything about the Cathedral in just one trip, so I think I’ll have to return again soon!