Catedral de Santa María de la Sede - Seville
N 37° 23.168 W 005° 59.531
30S E 235087 N 4141911
The Cathedral of Seville, formally Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See) was begun in 1402, with construction continuing into the 16th century.
Waymark Code: WM28PB
Location: Spain
Date Posted: 09/23/2007
Views: 197
Admission to the Cathedral is €7.50 with and extra €3.00 if you would like to use the audio guide.
Open for visiting from 11:00-17:00 Monday - Saturday, 14:30 - 18:00 Sunday.
It is the largest of all Roman Catholic cathedrals (Saint Peter's Basilica not being a cathedral) and also the largest Medieval Gothic religious building, in terms of both area and volume. It is 76 by 115 meters, and was built to cover the land previously occupied by the Almohad Mosque. Its central nave rises to an awesome 42 metres and even the side chapels seem tall enough to contain an ordinary church. Its main altarpiece is considered the largest in the Christian world.
The interior, with the longest nave in Spain, is lavishly decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. In the main body of the cathedral only the great box like structure of the coro stands out, filling the central portion of the nave. This opens onto the Capilla Mayor, dominated by a vast Gothic retablo of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ. The lifetime's work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart, this is the ultimate masterpiece of the cathedral - the largest and richest altarpiece in the world and one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere.
The Cathedral also has a large collection of religious jewelry items, paintings and sculptures, along with the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
The builders reused some columns and elements from the mosque, and most famously the Giralda, originally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. It is topped with a statue representing Faith. The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol.
This cathedral was built to demonstrate Seville's wealth, as it had become a major trading center in the years after the Reconquista.
Address:
Puerta de San Cristobal,
Sevilla, Spain
Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic
Date founded or constructed: 1402/01/01
Web site: [Web Link]
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