Seville Cathedral or Our Lady's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and it is also the third largest cathedral in the whole world. This cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Already in the 6th century, when it was completed, its construction surpassed Hagia Sophia in size, which was the largest church in the world until then. This cathedral is part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage, and it was on this list because of its grandiose size and great historical value.
The cathedral was built on the remains of a mosque from the 12th century, which was built by the Moorish rulers of that time. The original building (mosque) was completed in 1198. In 1356, there was a great earthquake in Seville, so the mosque was damaged and the construction of the cathedral began immediately in 1401. The minaret of the mosque was turned into a bell tower. The minaret is the only part of the mosque of that time that was not demolished, but its purpose was reshaped. The construction of the largest Gothic cathedral took a long time, about 100 years, and the cathedral was extended and beautified many times. This cathedral has the longest central approach to the main altar, the longest in Spain, as much as 42 meters. Everything is decorated with many details and lots of gold. Today, the cathedral is a combination of two religions, Muslim and Catholic.
Various scenes from the life of Jesus Christ can be seen on the main altar. The most beautiful portal in the cathedral is the "Door of Forgiveness" through which you can reach the garden of the former mosque to the "Orange Garden". The bell tower of the cathedral, formerly the Minaret, is 105 meters high, and there are as many as 22 bells on its top floor.
At the top of the dome, i.e. bell tower, there is a small tower through which light passes, and that tower is called the Lanterna. In Seville, the small tower at the top is called "El Giraldillo" and is a symbol of faith. There are as many as 80 chapels in the cathedral. It is interesting that in 1856, as many as 500 masses were held in the chapels in one day. One of the most beautiful and visited chapels is Our Lady's Chapel, because it houses a beautiful fresco of Our Lady that was painted in 1575. This chapel is also a mausoleum, where King Ferdinand III and his family are buried.
The main chapel is 23 meters high and was built almost 100 years ago. In the main chapel, you can see the sculpture of Our Lady in silver, which is surrounded by wooden reliefs (45 wooden reliefs) that symbolically depict the life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Ferdinand III, King of Castile, his wife and son Alphonso X the Wise, also King of Castile, are buried in this beautiful grandiose cathedral.
And the most important grog, according to visitors, is the grave of Christopher Columbus.
The price of tickets for adults is €12
Working hours: Monday-Saturday from 10:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Author of the text:
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
