La Giralda and Catedral (part 1)

After a quick pitstop for a slice of tortilla and a beer, it was time to investigate the Catedral complex, said to be the largest gothic cathedral in the world.

In part, its size is due to taking over the entire footprint of the former grand mosque built by the Almohad caliph in the late 12th century, replacing the Adabbas mosque as the city’s principal mosque.

After the Reconquista in the 13th century, Seville was retaken by the Christian forces led by Ferdinand III (later San Ferdinand) in 1248 and the mosque building was consecrated and repurposed as the city’s cathedral. But by 1401, the city leaders decided it was time to build a new cathedral worthy of Seville’s power and prestige.

The legend is that the cathedral chapter said "Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will take us for mad.” Other historical records suggest that they actually wanted “one so good that none will be its equal” but the original meeting minutes from 8 July 1401 have been lost.

The gothic nave is 126m long, 73m wide and 42m high. It took over a century to build involving different architects and master masons, who worked in a range of styles, mostly gothic and some renaissance.

Armed with an audioguide, I initially ascended the ramped passageway to the top of La Giralda, the bell tower. The tower was previously the minaret, designed to resemble the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech (which it does). The reason for the ramp, rather than stairs, was so the muezzin could climb the tower riding a donkey, presumably so he still had sufficient breath to make the call to prayer. The upper section containing the bells was added in the late 15th century in the baroque style.

As you can see the views from the top (well, the level of the bells) were splendid!Read more