Cathedral of Seville

"Let's build a church so beautiful and big that those who see it will think we're mad"

The impressive Cathedral, with its five naves is the largest Gothic building in Europe and part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites' list.

Seville's Cathedral was built in the late 12th century on the site of a former mosque. Its central nave rises up to 42 metres and even the side chapels could be tall enough to contain an ordinary church. New measurement calculations, based on cubic measurements, have now pushed it in front of Saint Paul's in London and Saint Peter's in Rome, as the largest church in the world.

Located just outside the Cathedral, the Patio de los Naranjos dates back to Moorish times when worshippers would wash their hands and feet in the fountain here - under the orange trees - before their daily prayers.

The Capilla Mayor is dominated by a vast Gothic retablo comprised of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ. It contains also the largest and richest altarpiece in the world and one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere.

The Sacristia Mayor houses the treasury, a collection of impressive reliquaries.

The tomb of Christopher Columbus is always of great interest to scholars and tourists alike. The remains of Columbus were in Cuba until 1898. When the war of independence started in Cuba, the Spanish left the country and took the remains back to Spain where many cities claimed them. Seville was chosen due to the proximity of the tomb of Colmubus' son Hernando, the Colombine library and the General Archive of the Indies. 

 Its bell tower, the Giralda, was the former minaret of the mosque, a masterpiece of Almohad architecture and an important example of the cultural syncretism due to the top section of the tower, added in the Renaissance period. It is topped with a bronze statue symbolizing the Christian faith, which serves as a weather vane (Giraldillo), at an altitude of 97.52m. A climb to the top of Giralda is considered well worth the effort for the views alone.

Seville Cathedral
Avenida de la Constitución s/n - 41004 Seville
info@catedraldesevilla.es
www.catedraldesevilla.es

Opening times:
Mondays from 11.00 to 15.30 - Tuesday to Saturday from 11.00 to 17.00 - Sundays from 14.30 to 18.00.
Entrance fees:

General : 8 € - reduced (students, etc.): 4 € - Free: residents of Seville, children under 14, etc.