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Cathedral Review

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Cathedral

Address: Pl. Virgen de los Reyes, Centro, Seville, 41004
Phone: 95/421-4971

Category: Religious Sites
Location: Seville

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Fodor's Review:

The cathedral can be described only in superlatives: it's the largest and highest cathedral in Spain, the largest Gothic building in the world, and the world's third-largest church, after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London. After Ferdinand III captured Seville from the Moors in 1248, the great mosque begun by Yusuf II in 1171 was reconsecrated to the Virgin Mary and used as a Christian cathedral. But in 1401 the people of Seville decided to erect a new cathedral, one that would equal the glory of their great city. They pulled down the old mosque, leaving only its minaret and outer court, and built the existing building in just over a century—a remarkable feat for the time.

When visiting, head first for the Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of Orange Trees), on the northern side and part of the original mosque. The fountain in the center was used for ablutions before people entered the mosque. Near the Puerta del Lagarto (Lizard's Gate), in the corner near the Giralda, try to find the wooden crocodile—thought to have been a gift from the emir of Egypt in 1260 as he sought the hand of the daughter of Alfonso the Wise—and the elephant tusk, found in the ruins of Itálica. The cathedral's exterior, with its rose windows and flying buttresses, is a monument to pure Gothic beauty. The dimly illuminated interior, aside from the well-lighted high altar, can be disappointing: Gothic purity has been largely submerged in ornate baroque decoration. Enter the cathedral through the Puerta de la Granada or the Puerta Colorada. In the central nave rises the Capilla Mayor (Main Chapel) and its intricately carved altarpiece, begun by a Flemish carver in 1482. This magnificent retablo (altarpiece) is the largest in Christendom (65 feet by 43 feet). It depicts some 36 scenes from the life of Christ, with pillars carved with more than 200 figures.

Make your way to the opposite (southern) side of the cathedral to see the monument to Christopher Columbus. The great explorer's coffin is borne aloft by the four kings representing the medieval kingdoms of Spain: Castile, León, Aragón, and Navarra. Columbus's son Hernando Colón (1488-1539) is also interred here; his tombstone is inscribed with the words a castilla y a león, mundo nuevo dio colón (To Castile and León, Columbus gave a new world).

Between the elder Columbus's tomb and the Capilla Real, at the eastern end of the central nave, the cathedral's treasures include gold and silver, relics, and other works of art. In the Sacristía de los Cálices (Sacristy of the Chalices) look for Martínez Montañés's wood carving Crucifixion, Merciful Christ; Valdés Leal's St. Peter Freed by an Angel; Zurbarán's Virgin and Child; and Goya's St. Justa and St. Rufina. The Sacristía Mayor (Main Sacristy) holds the keys to the city, which Seville's Moors and Jews presented to their conqueror, Ferdinand III. Finally, in the dome of the Sala Capitular (Chapter House), in the cathedral's southeastern corner, is Murillo's Immaculate Conception, painted in 1668.

One of the cathedral's highlights, the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel), is reserved for prayer and concealed behind a ponderous curtain, but you can duck in if you're quick, quiet, and properly dressed (no shorts or sleeveless tops). To do so, enter from the Puerta de los Palos, on Plaza Virgen de los Reyes (signposted entrada para culto—entrance for worship). Along the sides of the chapel are the tombs of the wife of 13th century's Ferdinand III, Beatrix of Swabia, and his son Alfonso X, called the Wise; in a silver urn before the high altar rest the relics of Ferdinand III himself, Seville's liberator. Canonized in 1671, he was said to have died from excessive fasting. In the (rarely open) vault below lie the tombs of Ferdinand's descendant Pedro the Cruel and Pedro's mistress, María de Padilla

Before you duck into the Capilla Real, climb to the top of the Giralda, which dominates Seville's skyline. Once the minaret of Seville's great mosque, from which the faithful were summoned to prayer, it was built between 1184 and 1196, just 50 years before the reconquest of Seville. The Christians could not bring themselves to destroy this tower when they tore down the mosque, so they incorporated it into their new cathedral. In 1565-68 they added a lantern and belfry to the old minaret and installed 24 bells, one for each of Seville's 24 parishes and the 24 Christian knights who fought with Ferdinand III in the reconquest. They also added the bronze statue of Faith, which turned as a weather vane—el giraldillo, or "something that turns," thus the name Giralda. To give it a rest after 400 years of wear and tear, the original statue was replaced with a copy in 1997. With its baroque additions, the slender Giralda rises 322 feet. Inside, instead of steps, 35 sloping ramps—wide enough for two horsemen to pass abreast—climb to a viewing platform 230 feet up. It is said that Ferdinand III rode his horse to the top to admire the city he had conquered. If you follow his route, you'll be rewarded with a view of tile roofs and the Guadalquivir shimmering beneath palm-lined banks.

Cost: Cathedral and Giralda EUR 8
Open: Cathedral May-Sept., Mon.-Sat. 9.30-4, Sun. 2:30-6; Oct.-Apr., Mon.-Sat. 11-5, Sun. 2:30-6 and for mass (8:30, 9, 10, noon, 5)

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