Cathedral of Sevilla

Image | South Channel

Declared a World Heritage Site, together with the Real Alcázar and Archivo de Indias, the Cathedral of Seville is the largest Gothic temple in the world today and the one with the largest surface area after Saint Peter in the Vatican and Saint Paul in London.

It has its origin in a mosque and in it are buried such illustrious personalities as Christopher Columbus, King Ferdinand III the Saint or Alfonso X the Wise. Next, we enter the walls of the Cathedral of Seville to get to know better this wonderful place so loved by the citizens.

History

It has its origin in a mosque, which the Caliph Abu Yuqub Yusuf ordered to build at the end of the XNUMXth century, its minaret being one of the icons of the city: the famous Giralda.

Years later, when King Ferdinand III the Holy reconquered Seville for Christianity, the Muslim temple became the Church of Santa María and the Cathedral of the city and ordered the construction of a royal chapel in which he would be buried.

Later, both the Cathedral of Seville and the Giralda underwent many modifications to turn this temple into the one that exists today.

Image | The Iberian Peninsula

Exterior of the Cathedral of Seville

It is natural that a temple of such large dimensions has more than one access. The Cathedral of Seville has no more and no less than ten doors.

The most frequented door of the Cathedral is the Puerta del Príncipe or San Cristóbal, which overlooks the Plaza del Triunfo and through which visitors enter. Another three of them face the Avenida de la Constitución. The Puerta del Bautismo and the Puerta del Nacimiento are among the oldest in the temple, and the Puerta de la Asunción is the main gate of the temple.

The Campanillas and Palos doors open onto Plaza Virgen de los Reyes. The latter located next to the Giralda, is where all the brotherhoods of Holy Week in Seville leave.

The Patio de los Naranjos overlooks La Puerta del Lagarto, Puerta de la Concepción and Puerta del Sagrario. The last of them is the Puerta del Perdón that overlooks Alemanes Street. It is the oldest as it is the only one that remains from the Almohad mosque.

Image | Cathedral of Sevilla

Interior of the Cathedral

We said that at present the Cathedral of Seville is the largest Gothic temple in the world but the truth is that this temple does not have a Latin cross plan like the rest of the Gothic churches but rather a square one, as it was erected on top of an old mosque.

On the other hand, the Cathedral of Seville has many doors, but in chapels and altars it is not short either. One of the most fascinating spaces is the Royal Chapel that was ordered to be built by King Ferdinand III the Saint, who is also buried there along with his wife Beatrice of Swabia, Alfonso X the Wise or Pedro I the Cruel, among others. Another of the graves that can be seen inside is that of Christopher Columbus.

In the Upper High of the temple is the Main Altarpiece, which is the largest in Christendom. A spectacular work of art made of polychrome wood with almost 400 square meters of surface that can be seen surrounded by a large fence.

Image | Cathedral of Sevilla

Cathedral roofs

The roofs of the Cathedral of Seville are very popular because for a few years guided tours have been organized so that visitors can see unique panoramic views of the city, the Giralda and the temple itself. It is also a very different way to discover how it was built and to see its stained glass windows.

The visit lasts almost an hour and a half. Tickets can be purchased both at the box office and on the monument's own website. The price of visits to the roofs is around 15 euros and includes free entry to the Giralda and the Cathedral.

Entrance to the Cathedral

The Cathedral of Seville offers different types of visit. The Cathedral, the Giralda and El Salvador can be visited together. Either visit the Roofs of the Cathedral or just El Salvador.
However, during the cultural tour there are areas to which access is not allowed. Such is the case of the Royal Chapel, only open for worship.

Hours of the Cathedral

The Cathedral is open from 11.00:15.30 to 11.00:17.00 on Mondays. From Tuesday to Saturday it opens from 14.30 a.m. to 18.00 p.m. and from XNUMX p.m. to XNUMX p.m. on Sundays.


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*