We’ll make a temple so big that those who see it think we are crazy. 

According to legend this is what the Canons of the Cathedral said before starting to build it.

The Cathedral is the equivalent of the Alcazar, a building that represents the church. Together they form the perfect duet of the political and religious powers. Their roots go hand in hand, as both were constructed for Muslim kingdoms, as a palace and a mosque, both were transformed by Christian monarchs, knocking down large parts of them and leaving only some samples of their Islamic past.

The great temple

The Cathedral of Seville is the biggest gothic church in the world. Its construction was a demonstration of both the power and wealth of the Sevillian Church. But before this, it was the Aljama mosque of the city, that’s to say, the biggest and principle mosque of Seville, of which it remains the Courtyard of Ablutions -now called the Courtyard of Oranges-, her majestic Door of Forgiveness and of course, the Giralda, the former minaret.

The Giralda, the symbol of Seville

The primitive Almohad miranet was converted into the new church’s bell tower. The belfry was added in 1560, whose fusion with the Arabic tower is what makes it so characteristic and fascinating for so many, up until the point that it became the symbol of Seville.

At 104 metres high, for centuries it was the tallest tower the whole of Europe (the tower of Pisa measures only half that and Big Ben doesn’t reach 100 metres). However, to ascend to the top there’s no need to endure too much as, like with the majority of towers, there aren’t stairs inside but ramps.

Its name comes from the weather vane installed on its highest point, the Giraldillo. It’s a symbol of the Christian faith and its triumph over Islam. There is a replica of the Giradillo in the main door of the Cathedral, so that it can be admired up close.

Although it is considered to be a gothic church, that being the predominant style, in reality the story of the Cathedral didn’t end when it was completed, but over the centuries it went through renovations and modifications. So we can find renaissance, baroque, and neo-gothic styles, to which we clearly have to add the original Hispanic-Muslim qualities.

Interior

But if its exterior leaves you amazed by its immensity, it’s nothing compared to its interior, which houses a large museum complete with works of art, the tombs of the great rulers that lived in Seville, the sword and banner of King Fernando (who conquered the city from the Almohads), the cloak of Emperor Carlos V, a thorn from the crown of Christ and nothing less than the bones of Christopher Columbus himself.

In conclusion, it’s a Cathedral rich inside and out, built on the basis of a mix between both cultures and whose tower is one of the most famous in the world. A Cathedral that keeps up with city that houses it.

For wondering at the Alcazar with its architecture and history there is this specially designed tour:

Images source: 61 – 68 (section 2)