SEVILLE
Seville is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province
of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir. The inhabitants of the city are known
as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, after the Roman name of the city, Hispalis. Seville
has a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population of about 1.5 million,
making it the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 30th most populous municipality in the European Union.
Its Old Town, the third largest in Europe with an area of 4 km², contains three UNESCO World Heritage
Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. The Seville harbour,
located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.
Seville was founded as the Roman city of Hispalis, it was known as Ishepilla (Arabic:89:9;<‫ )إ‬after the
Muslim conquest in 712. During the Muslim rule in Spain, Seville came under the jurisdiction of the
Caliphate of Córdoba before becoming the independent Taifa of Seville, and later under the control of the
Muslim Almoravids and Almohad dynasty until finally being incorporated into the Christian Kingdom of
Castile under Ferdinand III in 1248. After the discovery of the Americas, Seville became one of the
economic centres of the Spanish Empire as its port monopolised the trans-oceanic trade and the Casa de
Contratación (House of Trade) wielded its power, opening a Golden Age of arts and literature. In 1519,
Ferdinand Magellan departed from Seville for the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Coinciding with the
Baroque period of European history, the 17th century in Seville represented the most brilliant flowering of
the city's culture; then began a gradual economic and demographic decline as silting in the Guadalquivir
forced the trade monopoly to relocate to the nearby port of Cádiz.
The 20th century in Seville saw the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, decisive cultural milestones
such as the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 and Expo'92, and the city's election as the capital of the
Autonomous Community of Andalusia. Famous Sevillians include the painters Velázquez and Murillo, the
writer Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, the poet Antonio Machado, and Vicente Aleixandre, recipient of the Nobel
Prize in Literature.
The Catedral
Seville’s Catedral was conceived in 1402 as an unrivalled monument to Christian glory – “a
building on so magnificent a scale that posterity will believe we were mad”. To make way for this new
monument, the Almohad mosque that stood on the proposed site was almost entirely demolished.
Meanwhile, the canons, inspired by their vision of future repute, renounced all but a subsistence level of
their incomes to further the building.
The cathedral was completed in just over a century (1402–1506), an extraordinary achievement, as
it’s the largest Gothic church in the world. As Norman Lewis says, “It expresses conquest and domination
in architectural terms of sheer mass.” Though it is built upon the huge, rectangular base-plan of the old
mosque, the Christian architects (probably under the direction of the French master architect of Rouen
cathedral) added the extra dimension of height. Its central nave rises to 42m, and even the side chapels
seem tall enough to contain an ordinary church. The total area covers 11,520 square metres, and new
calculations, based on cubic measurement, have now pushed it in front of St Paul’s in London and St
Peter’s in Rome as the largest church in the world, a claim upheld by the Guinness Book of Records, a copy
of whose certificate is proudly displayed in the church.
The monument to Christopher Columbus
Entry to the cathedral is via the Puerta de San Cristóbal on the building’s south side; you are guided
through a reception area and bookshop that brings you into the church to the west of the portal itself. Turn
right once inside to head east, where you will soon be confronted by the Tomb of Christopher Columbus
(Cristóbal Colón in Spanish). Columbus’ remains were originally interred in the cathedral of Havana, on
the island that he had discovered on his first voyage in 1492. But during the upheavals surrounding the
declaration of Cuban independence in 1902, Spain transferred the remains to Seville, and the monumental
tomb – in the late Romantic style by Arturo Mélida – was created to house them. However, doubts have
always been voiced concerning the authenticity of the remains, and in 2002 scientists from the University
of Granada carried out DNA tests in an attempt to confirm that they are those of Columbus – but these
proved inconclusive. The mariner’s coffin is held aloft by four huge allegorical figures, representing the
kingdoms of León, Castile, Aragón and Navarra; the lance of León should be piercing a pomegranate (now
inexplicably missing), symbol of Granada (and the word for the fruit in Spanish), the last Moorish kingdom
to be reconquered.
The nave
As you move into the nave, sheer size and grandeur are, inevitably, the chief characteristics of the
cathedral. But once you’ve grown accustomed to the gloom, two other qualities stand out with equal force:
the rhythmic balance and interplay between the parts, and an impressive overall simplicity and restraint in
decoration. All successive ages have left monuments of their own wealth and style, but these have been
limited to the two rows of side chapels. 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.
The Capilla Mayor
The coro extends and opens onto the Capilla Mayor, dominated by a vast Gothic retablo
composed of 45 carved scenes from the Life of Christ. The lifetime’s work of a single craftsman, Fleming
Pieter Dancart, this is the supreme masterpiece of the cathedral – the largest and richest altarpiece in the
world and one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving. The guides provide staggering statistics on
the amount of gold involved.
The Sacristía de los Cálices
Before proceeding around the edge of the nave in a clockwise direction it’s best to backtrack to the
church’s southeast corner to take in the Sacristía de los Cálices where many of the cathedral’s main art
treasures are displayed, including a masterly image of Santas Justa y Rufina by Goya, depicting Seville’s
patron saints, who were executed by the Romans in 287. Should you be interested in studying the many
canvases here or the abundance of major artworks placed in the various chapels, it’s worth calling at the
bookshop near the entrance to purchase a copy of the official Guide to the Cathedral of Seville, which deals
with them in detail.
The Sacristía Mayor
Alongside this room is the grandiose Sacristía Mayor, housing the treasury. Embellished in the
Plateresque style, it was designed in 1528 by Diego de Riaño, one of the foremost exponents of this
predominantly decorative architecture of the late Spanish Renaissance. Amid a confused collection of silver
reliquaries and monstrances – dull and prodigious wealth – are displayed the keys presented to Fernando
by the Jewish and Moorish communities on the surrender of the city; sculpted into the metal in stylized
Arabic script are the words “May Allah render eternal the dominion of Islam in this city”. Through a small
antechamber here you enter the oval-shaped Sala Capitular (chapterhouse), with paintings by Murillo and
an outstanding marble floor with geometric design.
The Capilla de San Antonio
In the northwest corner, the Capilla de San Antonio has Murillo’s Vision of St Anthony depicting
the saint in ecstatic pose before an infant Christ. A magnificent work: try to spot where the restorers joined
San Antonio back into place after he had been crudely hacked out of the picture by thieves in the nineteenth
century. He was eventually discovered in New York – where art dealers recognized the work they were
being asked to buy – and returned to the cathedral. The Baptism of Jesus above this is another fine work by
the same artist.
The Capilla Real
The nave’s north side leads to the Puerta de la Concepción, through which you will exit – but
before doing so, continue to the northeast corner to view the domed Renaissance Capilla Real, built on the
site of the original royal burial chapel and containing the body of Fernando III (El Santo) in a suitably rich,
silver shrine in front of the altar. The large tombs on either side of the chapel are those of Fernando’s wife,
Beatrice of Swabia, and his son, Alfonso the Wise. The chapel is reserved for services and private prayer
and may only be viewed via the entrance in Plaza Virgen de los Reyes (Mon–Sat 8am–2pm & 4–7pm; free).
You are now close to the entry to the Giralda tower.
The Doors
Seville Cathedral has fifteen doors on its four facades. The major doors are:
West facade
The Door of Baptism, on the left side, was built in the 15th century and decorated with a scene
depicting the baptism of Jesus, created by the workshop of Lorenzo Mercadante of Britain. It is of Gothic
style. It contains sculptures of the brothers Saint Isidore and Saint Leander and the sisters Saints Justa and
Rufina, by Lorenzo Mecadante, also a series of angels and prophets by the artisan Pedro Millán.
The Main Door or Door of Assumption, in the center of the west facade. It was executed by the
artist Ricardo Bellver between 1877 and 1898.
The Door of Saint Michael or Door of the %ativity, has sculptures representing the birth of Jesus
by Pedro Millan. It was built in the 15th century and is decorated with terracotta sculptures of Saint Laurean,
Saint Hermengild and the Four Evangelists. Today, this door is used for the Holy Week processions.
South facade
The Door of Saint Cristopher or De la Lonja (1887-1895) of the south transept, was designed by Adolfo
Fernandez Casanova and completed in 1917; it was originally designed by the architect Demetrio de los Rios
in 1866. A replica of the "Giraldillo" stands in front of its gate.
North facade
The Door of the Conception (1895-1927), (Puerta de la Concepción) opens onto the Court of the
Oranges (Patio de los #aranjos) and is kept closed except on festival days. It was designed by Demetrio de
los Rios and finished by Adolfo Fernandez Casanova in 1895. It was built in the Gothic style to harmonize
with the rest of the building.
The Door of the Lizard (Puerta del Lagarto) leads from the Court of the Oranges; it is named for
the stuffed crocodile hanging from the ceiling.
The Door of the Sanctary (Puerta del Sagrario) provides access to the sanctuary. Designed by
Pedro Sanchez Falconete in the last third of the 17th century, it is framed by Corinthian columns with a
sculpture on top representing King Ferdinand III of Castile next to the Saints Isidore, Leander, Justa and
Rufina.
Door of Forgiveness. This door gives access to the Patio de los #aranjos from Calle Alemanes and
therefore is not really a door of the cathedral. It belonged to the ancient mosque and retains its horseshoe
arch shape from that time. In the early 16th century it was adorned with terracotta sculptures by the sculptor
Miguel Perrin, highlighting the great relief of the Purification on the entrance arch. The plaster ornaments
were made by Bartolomé López.
East facade
The Door of Sticks or the Adoration of the Magi, decorated with sculptures by Lope Marin in 1548,
has a relief of the Adoration of the Magi at the top, executed by Miguel Perrin in 1520. The name "Palos" or
"Sticks" is due to the wooden railing which separates that area from the rest of the building.
Door of the Bells, so named because at the time of its construction the bells to call the workers were
rung there. The Renaissance sculptures and the relief on the tympanum representing Christ's Entry into
Jerusalem were made by Lope Marin in 1548.
Giralda
The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. Its height is 343 feet (105 m). Its square
base is 23 feet (7.0 m) above sea level and is 44 feet (13 m) long per side. It was built to resemble the
minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech (Morocco), although the top section of the bell tower dates
from the Renaissance. Construction began in 1184 under the direction of architect Ben Ahmad Baso.
According to the chronicler Ibn Sahib al-Salah, the works were completed on March 10 of 1198, with the
placement of four gilt bronze balls in the top section of the tower. After a strong earthquake in 1365, the
spheres were missing. In the 16th century the belfry was added by the architect Hernán Ruiz the Younger; the
statue on its top, called "El Giraldillo", was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith.
The Alcázar
Rulers of Seville have occupied the site of the Alcázar from the time of the Romans. Here was
built the great court of the Abbadids. Later, under the Almohads, the complex was turned into a citadel,
forming the heart of the town’s fortifications. Its extent was enormous, stretching to the Torre del Oro on
the bank of the Guadalquivir.
Parts of the Almohad walls survive, but the present structure of the palace dates almost entirely
from the Christian period. Seville was a favoured residence of the Spanish kings after the Reconquest –
most particularly of Pedro the Cruel (Pedro I; 1350–69) who, with his mistress María de Padilla, lived in
and ruled from the Alcázar. Pedro embarked upon a complete rebuilding of the palace, employing workmen
from Granada and utilizing fragments of earlier Moorish buildings in Seville, Córdoba and Valencia.
Pedro’s works form the nucleus of the Alcázar as it is today and, despite numerous restorations necessitated
by fires and earth tremors, it offers some of the best surviving examples of Mudéjar architecture – the
style developed by Moors working under Christian rule. Later monarchs, however, have left all too many
traces and additions. Isabel built a new wing in which to organize expeditions to the Americas and control
the new territories; Carlos V married a Portuguese princess in the palace, adding huge apartments for the
occasion; and under Felipe IV (c.1624) extensive renovations were carried out to the existing rooms.
Entry and the Salón del Almirante
The Alcázar is entered from the Plaza del Triunfo, adjacent to the cathedral. The gateway, flanked
by original Almohad walls, opens onto a courtyard where Pedro I (who was known as “the Just” as well as
“the Cruel”, depending on one’s fortunes) used to give judgement; to the left is his Sala de Justicia and
beyond this the Patio del Yeso, the only surviving remnant of the Almohads’ Alcázar. The main facade of
the palace stands at the end of an inner court, the Patio de la Montería; on either side are galleried
buildings erected by Isabel. This principal facade is pure fourteenth-century Mudéjar and, with its delicate,
marble-columned windows, stalactite frieze and overhanging roof, is one of the finest things in the whole
Alcázar.
The Salón del Almirante
As you will exit on the other side of the complex, it’s probably better to look round the Salón del
Almirante (or Casa de Contración de Indias), the sixteenth-century building on the right, before entering
the main palace. Founded by Isabel in 1503, this gives you a standard against which to assess the Moorish
forms. Here most of the rooms seem too heavy, their decoration ceasing to be an integral part of the design.
The only notable exception is the Sala de Audiencias (or Capilla de los Navigantes, Chapel of the
Navigators) with its magnificent artesonado ceiling inlaid with golden rosettes; within is a fine sixteenthcentury retablo by Alejo Fernández depicting Columbus (in gold) and Carlos V (in a red cloak) sheltering
beneath the Virgin. In the rear, to the left, are portrayed the kneeling figures of the Indians to whom the
dubious blessings of Christianity had been brought by the Spanish conquest.
The royal apartments
The royal apartments, known as the Palacio Real Alto, have now been opened for visits when not
in use. This takes in the royal chapel with a fine early sixteenth-century retablo by Nicola Pisano; the socalled bedroom of Pedro I, with fine early Mudéjar plasterwork; and the equally splendid Sala de
Audiencias – with more stunning plaster and tile decoration – which is still used by the royal family when
receiving visitors in Seville.
Palacio de Pedro I
As you enter the main palace, the Palacio de Pedro I, the “domestic” nature of Moorish and
Mudéjar architecture is immediately striking. This involves no loss of grandeur but simply a shift in scale:
the apartments are remarkably small, shaped to human needs, and take their beauty from the exuberance of
the decoration and the imaginative use of space and light. There is, too, a deliberate disorientation in the
layout of the rooms, which makes the palace seem infinitely larger and more open than it really is. From
the entrance court a narrow passage leads straight into the central courtyard, the Patio de las Doncellas
(Patio of the Maidens), its name recalling the Christians tribute of one hundred virgins presented annually
to the Moorish kings. The heart of the patio has recently been restored to its fourteenth-century original
state after having been buried under a tiled pavement for four centuries. Archeologists have replanted the
six orange trees that once grew in sunken gardens to either side of a central pool. The pool is now filled
with goldfish – as it was in the time of Pedro I – a medieval way of eliminating mosquitoes in summer. The
court’s stuccowork, azulejos and doors are all of the finest Granada craftsmanship. Interestingly, it’s also
the only part of the palace where Renaissance restorations are successfully fused – the double columns and
upper storey were built by Carlos V, whose Plus Ultra (“yet still farther”) motto recurs in the decorations
here and elsewhere.
Salons de Carlos V and Embajadores
Past the Salón de Carlos V, distinguished by a superb ceiling, are three rooms from the original
fourteenth-century design built for María de Padilla (who was popularly thought to use magic in order to
maintain her hold over Pedro – and perhaps over other gallants at court, too, who used to drink her bath
water). These open onto the Salón de Embajadores (Salon of the Ambassadors), the most brilliant room of
the Alcázar, with a stupendous media naranja (half-orange) wooden dome of red, green and gold cells, and
horseshoe arcades inspired by the great palace of Medina Azahara outside Córdoba. Although restored, for
the worse, by Carlos V – who added balconies and an incongruous frieze of royal portraits to commemorate
his marriage to Isabel of Portugal here – the salon stands comparison with the great rooms of Granada’s
Alhambra. Adjoining are a long dining hall (comedor) and a small apartment installed in the late sixteenth
century for Felipe II.
Patio de las Muñecas
The last great room of the palace – the Patio de las Muñecas (Patio of the Dolls), takes its curious
name from two tiny faces decorating the inner side of one of the smaller arches. It’s thought to be the site
of the harem in the original palace. In this room, Pedro is reputed to have murdered his brother Don
Fadrique in 1358; another of his royal guests, Abu Said of Granada, was murdered here for his jewels (one
of which, an immense ruby that Pedro later gave to Edward, the “Black Prince”, now figures in the British
crown jewels). The upper storey of the court is a much later, nineteenth-century restoration. On the other
sides of the patio are the bedrooms of Isabel and of her son Don Juan, and the arbitrarily named
Dormitorio del los Reyes Moros (Bedroom of the Moorish Kings).
Palacio de Carlos V
To the left of the main palace loom the large and soulless apartments of the Palacio de Carlos V –
something of an endurance test, with endless tapestries (eighteenth-century copies of the sixteenth-century
originals now in Madrid) and pink, orange or yellow paintwork. Their classical style asserts a different and
inferior mood.
The gardens
It’s best to hurry through to the beautiful and rambling Jardines de los Reales Alcázares (gardens),
the confused but enticing product of several eras, where you can take a well-earned rest from your
exertions. Here you’ll find the vaulted baths in which María de Padilla is supposed to have bathed (in
reality, an auxiliary water supply for the palace), and the Estanque de Mercurio with a bronze figure of
the messenger of the gods at its centre. This pool was specially constructed for Felipe V in 1733. South of
here towards the centre of the gardens there’s an unusual and entertaining maze of myrtle bushes and,
nearby, the pavilion (pabellón) of Carlos V, the only survivor of several he built for relaxation.
Seville Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), better
known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville (Andalusia, Spain). It is the largest
Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World
Heritage Site, along with the Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies.
After its completion in the early 16th century, Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as
the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years.
The cathedral is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The Archbishop's Palace is located on
the northeastern side of the cathedral.
Seville Cathedral was built to demonstrate the city's wealth, as it had become a major trading center
in the years after the Reconquista in 1248. In July 1401 it was decided to build a new cathedral since the
structure of the current building, an ancient Muslim mosque which had been converted into a Christian
church, was so badly damaged by the 1356 earthquake. According to local oral tradition, the members of the
cathedral chapter said: "Let us build a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think
we were mad". Construction began in 1402 and continued until 1506. The clergy of the parish gave half their
stipends to pay for architects, artists, stained glass artisans, masons, carvers, craftsman and labourers and
other expenses.
Five years after construction ended, in 1511, the dome collapsed and work on the cathedral
recommenced. The dome again collapsed in 1888, and work was still being performed on the dome
until at least 1903. The 1888 collapse occurred due to an earthquake and resulted in the destruction
of "every precious object below" the dome at that time.
The interior has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain. The central nave rises to a height
of 42 meters and is lavishly decorated with a large quantity of gilding. In the main body of the
cathedral, the most noticeable features are the great boxlike choir loft, which fills the central portion
of the nave, and the vast Gothic retablo of carved scenes from the life of Christ. This altarpiece was
the lifetime work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart.
The builders used some columns and other elements from the ancient mosque, including its minaret,
which was converted into a bell tower known as La Giralda, now the city's most well-known
symbol.
Giralda
The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. Its height is 343 feet (105 m). Its square
base is 23 feet (7.0 m) above sea level and is 44 feet (13 m) long per side. It was built to resemble the
minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech (Morocco), although the top section of the bell tower dates
from the Renaissance. Construction began in 1184 under the direction of architect Ben Ahmad Baso.
According to the chronicler Ibn Sahib al-Salah, the works were completed on March 10 of 1198, with the
placement of four gilt bronze balls in the top section of the tower. After a strong earthquake in 1365, the
spheres were missing. In the 16th century the belfry was added by the architect Hernán Ruiz the Younger; the
statue on its top, called "El Giraldillo", was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith.
The Alcázar
Rulers of Seville have occupied the site of the Alcázar from the time of the Romans. Here was
built the great court of the Abbadids. Later, under the Almohads, the complex was turned into a citadel,
forming the heart of the town’s fortifications. Its extent was enormous, stretching to the Torre del Oro on
the bank of the Guadalquivir.
Parts of the Almohad walls survive, but the present structure of the palace dates almost entirely
from the Christian period. Seville was a favoured residence of the Spanish kings after the Reconquest –
most particularly of Pedro the Cruel (Pedro I; 1350–69) who, with his mistress María de Padilla, lived in
and ruled from the Alcázar. Pedro embarked upon a complete rebuilding of the palace, employing workmen
from Granada and utilizing fragments of earlier Moorish buildings in Seville, Córdoba and Valencia.
Pedro’s works form the nucleus of the Alcázar as it is today and, despite numerous restorations necessitated
by fires and earth tremors, it offers some of the best surviving examples of Mudéjar architecture – the
style developed by Moors working under Christian rule. Later monarchs, however, have left all too many
traces and additions. Isabel built a new wing in which to organize expeditions to the Americas and control
the new territories; Carlos V married a Portuguese princess in the palace, adding huge apartments for the
occasion; and under Felipe IV (c.1624) extensive renovations were carried out to the existing rooms.
Entry
The Alcázar is entered from the Plaza del Triunfo, adjacent to the cathedral. The gateway, flanked
by original Almohad walls, opens onto a courtyard. The main facade of the palace stands at the end of an
inner court, the Patio de la Montería.
Palacio de Pedro I
As you enter the main palace, the Palacio de Pedro I, the “domestic” nature of Moorish and
Mudéjar architecture is immediately striking. There is a deliberate disorientation in the layout of the rooms,
which makes the palace seem infinitely larger and more open than it really is. From the entrance court a
narrow passage leads straight into the central courtyard, the Patio de las Doncellas (Patio of the Maidens).
Patio de las Muñecas
The last great room of the palace – the Patio de las Muñecas (Patio of the Dolls), takes its curious
name from two tiny faces decorating the inner side of one of the smaller arches. It’s thought to be the site
of the harem in the original palace.
The gardens
It’s best to hurry through to the beautiful Jardines de los Reales Alcázares (gardens), the confused
but enticing product of several eras, where you can take a well-earned rest from your exertions. Here you’ll
find the vaulted baths in which María de Padilla is supposed to have bathed (in reality, an auxiliary water
supply for the palace), and the Estanque de Mercurio with a bronze figure of the messenger of the gods at
its centre. This pool was specially constructed for Felipe V in 1733. South of here towards the centre of the
gardens there’s an unusual and entertaining maze of myrtle bushes and, nearby, the pavilion (pabellón) of
Carlos V, the only survivor of several he built for relaxation.