Seville, Spain - Part 2 of 2

Hola!!

Today we're going to visit the largest gothic cathedral in the mundo (world)!!  The key word in that sentence is 'gothic' because the Seville Cathedral is the 10th largest church in the world.  Details, details.

Ok, let's get to the trivia part:

• It was completed in 1506 (514 years old!)
• Christopher Columbus and his son are buried there
• It has 15 exterior access doors
• It has 80 chapels
• It's 443 ft long
• 249 feet wide
• In 1888 the main dome collapsed due to an earthquake
• The Giralda (bell tower) rises over 340 ft

The Cathedral was built on the site of a former mosque which was demolished due to being in poor condition.  However, some parts of the mosque still remain, the base of the Giralda Tower being one.  The base (which still stands today) is from 1198 during the muslin era and the bell tower top was added to the former minaret around 1578.  About 2/3 of the way up, you can see where one stops and the other starts.  A curious fact, the Giralda does not have stairs, but instead has 35 ramps wide enough to allow the Sultan to ascend mounted on horseback to see the beautiful view.

I chose not to climb Giralda nor take the tour of the roof of the cathedral because I already saw expansive views of the (very flat) city from Las Setas (mushrooms) the prior day.

Giralda Tower

There are 30 ladders in this photo.

Imagine:  Honey, I'm off to work.  I have to climb 30 ladders to work at the top!  Oops! (after climbing), I gotta go potty!

This is an exact replica of the weather vane that sits on top of Giralda Tower.

Christopher Columbus's 'tomb'

His son is buried below the floor

Details of the vaulted ceilings.

Patio de Naranjas (oranges)
Worshippers would wash their hands and feet in the fountains here, under the orange trees, before their five daily prayer sessions. 

Leaving the Cathedral and orange trees onto the street, you pass through the Puerta del Perdon (Gate of Forgiveness), which is also another remnant of the original mosque.

After leaving the Cathedral, I headed over to the Church of the Divine Salvador, a former mosque, now a baroque Roman Catholic church.

Completed in 1712

You can definitely see the Roman influence in pillars!

That's it from Seville!!!

By the way, if you're interested in viewing any of my past entries about travelling around Europe and where I live in Mallorca, simply scroll down past my signature to the end.  There, you'll see 'Blog History'.  You can click on any Month/Year to see the titles I published at that time.  Simply click on the title you're interested in and it will take you to that page.

Next up... 
Huelva and Cadiz, Spain!

Dano