Spain: Seville Cathedral

January 2017

Before visiting the Cathedral in Seville, I had no idea it was one of the most significant churches in all of Europe. Indeed, it is one of the largest in the world.

The Cathedral - and the Alcazar - of Seville bear exceptional testimony to the civilization of the Almohads and to that of Christian Andalusia dating from the Reconquest of 1248 to the 16th century. The Giralda, which influenced the construction of numerous towers in Spain and America, is a masterpiece of Almohad architecture. The immense Cathedral with its five naves is the largest Gothic building in Europe. The elliptical space of the Cabildo, created by Hernán Ruiz, is one of the most beautiful architectural works of the Renaissance. The Cathedral, one of the largest and most ornate religious buildings in the world, contains in its complex structure a wide range of styles derived from its turbulent history. In the chapel of the Granada, there are capitals of several columns dating from the time of the Visigoths, the last vestiges of the original Cathedral, which in 712 the Arab conquerors condemned to destruction. It is, above all, one of the most important witnesses of the Almohad period in its heyday. In 1147, when it became the capital of a Muslim empire covering the whole of the Maghreb, Seville itself, with its monuments whose splendor Arab travelers were pleased to point out. The Giralda, formerly the minaret of the Great Mosque (built in 1172-98 by Emir Yaqub al-Mansur), escaped destruction and became a bell tower after the reconquest of Seville in 1248. In the 16th century it was crowned with a bronze statue symbolizing the Christian faith, which serves as a weathervane (Giraldillo), at an altitude of 97.52m. The only part of the other Cathedral that preserves the memory of the Great Mosque is the Orange Tree Courtyard in the north, a wonderful interior garden. The Christians wished to replace the mosque, whose destruction began in 1401, with a Gothic-style cathedral, unsurpassed by any other. In 1420 Seville became one of the major international construction sites of the 15th century, employing the most renowned Spanish, Flemish, and German architects and sculptors. Seville's prosperity after the discovery of the New World was further enhanced by the considerable financial means already made available for the construction and embellishment of the Cathedral. In the sixteenth century, it was further enhanced by an incomparable ornamentation of stained glass windows, altarpieces, work and grid posts. In the seventeenth century, the Cathedral was still the beneficiary of wealthy donations, and was filled with baroque sculptures and paintings by the great Sevillian painters Murillo and Valdés Leal.

https://www.catedraldesevilla.es/en/the-cathedral/world-heritage-site/

Seville Cathedral both inside and out took my breath away. Seeing the Giralda, the only remaining part of the destroyed Grand Mosque of Seville made me curious how that building looked (given Seville's importance as a city in Al-Andalus). Such the shame that something now so beautiful had to be built on a foundation of destruction. At least Cordoba's Mezquita had survived nearly intact. Traveler tales of Seville's Grand Mosque told of a wonderous building.

When I climbed the tower, the old Arabic inscriptions along the stairwell remained as well as the exterior decoration - at odds with the gothic style. No expense was spared when making the new church - Spain was at the peak of its wealth and power. The church was a statement in addition to being a place of worship.

After seeing the church I was in awe. Little did I know that the adjacent Alcazar was likely second in beauty only to Granada's Alhambra. Just after the church visit, I was in sensory overload. I saved the Alaczar of Seville, for the next day. The city held so much grandeur. How had I never learned about it?