Cathedral

After a lunch back at the apartment we headed back to the same area as we had on line tickets for 1500h to enter the Seville Cathedral. Very large and impressive from the outside and inside and out. The audioguide was not very helpful as it was difficult to figure out where you were in this massive structure. We viewed the main altar and the tomb of Cristobol Colon (Columbus) and a few of the chapels and then were told they were closing early and we had to leave. We would have liked another 30 minutes but on the other hand we were actually feeling rather tired and when we got back to the apartment and out of the 32 degree heat we both relaxed and rested up for our dinner out which Doug had arranged for our 44th Anniversary.

Catedral de Santa María de la Sede is the third largest church in the world, after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

The Cathedral was built on the site where once a Moorish mosque stood. This mosque was taken from the Moors in 1248 and was then used as a cathedral. In the 13th century, the mosque was destroyed, except for the Patio de los Naranjos (the orange court), and the Giralda tower. Construction of the cathedral began in 1403. The cathedral was finally completed in 1507.

Tomb of Christopher Columbus. His remains were transferred from Cuba to Seville 1898 and now rest in this tomb. It is adorned with a bronze coffin, carried by four figures symbolizing the kingdoms of Castile, León, Aragon and Navarre

The minaret of the Cathedral, La Giralda, is the tower of the mosque that was preserved after the demolition of the mosque when it was replaced by a cathedral. On top of the Giralda Tower is a four-metre high bronze statue. This statue, representing faith, is nicknamed the Giraldillo. The statue turns with the wind and, consequently the tower got its nickname (Giralda = weather vane).Read more