Updated: January 16, 2023
Seville Cathedral legend says: “Hagamos una Iglesia tan hermosa y tan grandios que los que la vieren labrada nos tengan por locos” which translates to “Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will think we are mad” goes the Seville Cathedral history. I can assure you that they accomplished that!
This was said by the members of the Cathedral chapter as they set about building what would ultimately become the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. The Seville Cathedral was built to demonstrate the wealth of the city and its position as a major trading center.
Seville Cathedral and La Giralda are must-visit places in Andalusia:
Seville Cathedral:
The Seville Cathedral is the largest, technically because the 2 larger ones, namely the Basilica of the National Shrine and St. Peter’s Basilica are not the seats of Bishops. It overtook the Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral upon its construction which started in 1402. It was over a hundred years in the making and was finally completed in 1506.
Allow yourself plenty of time to see the wonderful historic icons of Seville. We spent almost four hours exploring some of the Seville Cathedral over the weekend. We did not get to see everything. It’s that humongous inside. The Cathedral became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987.
Minaret and Seville Cathedral:
The Seville Cathedral was combined with the minaret from the ancient mosque that occupied the same space under the Muslim rulers. It was converted into a bell tower and named La Giralda, which means weather vane. The original minaret was built to be a twin of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, which l have previously written about, so l won’t go through the history again. I feel so lucky to have seen 2 of the original minarets. I am just missing the one in Rabat to complete the set!
Cathedral Seville Interior:
The inside of the Seville Cathedral is mind-blowing to say the least. It is so ostentatious, so in your face with its grandeur. I have been to a lot of Cathedrals in my life, but this one has the most gold and silver that l have ever seen. There are so many rooms that you wander into and see gifts from other cathedrals and men of importance.
All behind glass, with alarm sensors, the gold shimmering for how pure it is. I think it’s safe to say that they are all 24 carats. You can tell they are pure gold. You know that saying that goes “heavy weighs the head that wears the crown”.. yes, l know it’s originally “uneasy is the head..” but the former fits better upon seeing the gold in the crown in one of the rooms. They all bear little plaques as to where the donations come from. The one below is from an Italian Bishop.
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There was no flash allowed inside, and it is wicked dark in there, so some of the images may not be as crisp as l would have hoped for.
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La Catedral de Sevilla: Amazing artwork
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Giralda Tower: Giralda Sevilla
We decided to climb to the top of the La Giralda bell tower. I had been hoping there was an escalator 😉 , but alas..there was none to be found. I was still game and we climbed..and climbed.. It wasn’t too bad though, l must say. It’s the heat that kills you.
There are 34 floors in all, but it wasn’t traditional stairs. Instead it was a series of slightly inclined ramps. We found out later that it was built that way, wide enough for two guards on horseback to pass. I certainly couldn’t imagine if the guards had to walk up there to ring the bells :-(.
It was boiling hot all along the way up, but my pride wouldn’t let me give up. Since living in Spain, l have taken to carrying a hand fan with me, and l can tell you l was the envy of people trudging along. Even Federico was happy, and moved behind me, so he could get the benefit of the wind. It’s just so crowded, one line of people going up, and one line coming down, so it’s tight. There are little alcoves on the way up though, so you can stop and take a breather if you have to. Seville is quite hot right now, so the crowd, though thick, was not as bad as during the high season.
La Giralda: The stunning views of Seville
Helpful hints if you want to climb up the Giralda Tower:
– Bring water! I so wished l had thought of that, and was so jealous of the people who had water bottles with them. You are so thirsty after you get up there.
– Bring a hand fan if you can. At the very least, tissue to wipe your face with, or a handkerchief. You’ll be happy you did.
– Wear the right shoes. There were so many women who were hugging the wall, thanks to the high heels etc. That’s always fun to watch :-). Leave the fancy shoes to the Sevillanos, as they know how to navigate the cobblestones.
The views from the top are awesome. It is definitely worth the climb up, just to see the architecture of the Cathedral from the top. I loved seeing the gargoyles and the garden below. Access to the Giralda tower is included in the price of entry to the Seville Cathedral.
Fun Historical Facts about the Seville Cathedral and La Giralda:
– The clergy of the parish gave half of their stipends to cover the costs for the craftsmen, laborers and architects etc. of building the church.
– The longest nave of any cathedral in Spain is on the inside of this cathedral. It is 42 meters high!
– The dome collapsed twice, in 1511 and in 1888 (earthquake).
– The altarpiece was the life long work of a Flemish craftsman Pierre Dancart. It took him 44 years, and only at the end was he helped by other artists. It shows scenes from the old testament and the lives of saints. This thing is insanely big, and you are literally blinded by the bling of all that gold. It was hard to get the full height of the piece , even crouched down.
– The tomb of Christopher Columbus is inside the Seville Cathedral. His body was brought here from Havana in the 1890s. He is being carried by four statues. They represent the kingdoms of Aragon, Castille, Leon, and Navarra. He was also a very, very short man unless they crumpled his body, that tomb looked pretty short to me!
– The Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Courtyard) was the original courtyard of the prior ancient mosque.
– La Giralda was one of the few things that survived intact after the earthquake. Christian symbols were added to the spire. Prior to the Christian conquest, the Muslim rulers wanted to destroy the minaret, so it wouldn’t be desecrated. It was prevented by then King Alfonso X who declared that “if they removed a single stone, they would all be put to the sword”. Yeah for the King :-).
– La Giralda is considered to be the most beautiful of the three minarets. I have only seen two, and l can’t decide which one looks better, to tell the truth.
– The Seville Cathedral has a total of fifteen doors! We saw just a few.
The door of Baptism depicts the baptism of Jesus. There are sculptures of Saints Isidore and Leander, and the sister Saints Justa and Rufina. We saw the Door of Saint Miguel as well. Trust me when l say it looks exactly like this one, so l won’t add it.
– The Seville Cathedral has 80 chapels! I told you it was big. Up to 500 masses were said daily.
– La Giralda is 343 ft tall (108 meters). It measures 44 feet (13 meters) along each side.
– It’s official name is Catedral de Santa María ( Cathedral of Saint Mary )
– The statue at the top of the bellfry is called “El Giraldillo. It was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith. The architect was Hernan Ruiz the Younger.
You could easily spend all day in the Seville Cathedral and La Giralda if you choose. We were tired and especially thirsty so we didn’t. The other reason is that my mother in law is visiting from Rome in a couple of weeks. We will therefore be headed back there with her. This way, we can do some newer parts and climb atop the Cathedral for a different view. Is tLa Giralda and Seville Cathedral worth visiting? Yes it is. I consider them two of the best things to do in Seville and should be part of your itinerary. I highly recommend you checking out these jewels of Seville. You won’t be disappointed.
Further information and Seville Cathedral opening hours are:
Sept – June:
Monday – Saturday 11AM – 5PM
Sunday: 2.30PM – 6PM
July – August:
Monday – Saturday 9.30AM – 4PM
Sunday: 2.30PM – 6PM
Seville Cathedral and La Giralda Tower Entry fee price: €8
Seville cathedral Free Monday: If your holiday in Seville falls on a Monday, take advantage of the free entry Mondays at the Seville Cathedral and Alcazar. Tip: Reserve and skip the line.
If you want a deeper experience with a tour guide, consider our partner company who can tailor the tours to your needs or you can be part of a group.
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Have you been to Seville? If yes, did you visit the Seville Cathedral and La Giralda?
Wow!! This is amazing! All that glitz! I love Cathedrals and blogged about them earlier this year. I became more fascinated with their architecture and building after reading The Pillars of the Earth. Interesting about Christopher Columbus. I didn’t know that.
I have to read that. I love cathedrals too, and l have read some of your posts on them. This one is truly magnificent. I can’t even begin to imagine how much it must have cost! Thanks for the comment.. 🙂
Beautiful! I love old cathedrals and churches and their unique architecture.
Me too! Imagine a few years ago, the King’s daughter l believe got married in this cathedral. This to me is even grander than Westminster Abbey! I bet it was nice.. 🙂
I love that first picture. I almost looks like a painting. European architecture really puts our newish buildings in the US to shame!
That is one of my favorite picture of his. Liked it so much, we had it blown up as a canvas for the living room.:-). Yep! The architecture does shame everything there, old is cool!
This cathedral is ornate from the inside out, I see! That altar – wow!! I’d love to see this in person. I definitely love all of the Moorish influences in the architecture. Looking forward to seeing more of this cathedral on your return trip.
It really is insane how gorgeous and humongous this place is. Federico wanted to wait till his mom got here, but l’m glad we went because l do think you need some more time to see it all. Those Moors really knew how to build :-). I love the way they made use of what was left after the last earthquake to make this unique wonder.
Wow! Spanky and I going over our plans later today about where to go next. It might be Portugal/Spain. Sevilla really looks quite fabulous.
Frank (bbqboy)
Well.. Portugal is a 90 minute drive from Sevilla, so you could do both! We are planning a road trip probably to Faro and the other Algarve areas. Send me an email when you guys decide.. :-). You can’t go wrong with either place l think.
Yes, right now thinking of doing a month in each Lisbon and Porto. Would definitely visit the Algarve and Sevilla.
The other option is Budapest and then Romania and Bulgaria on the way to Istanbul.
But we’re leaning towards option 1 and will nail it down in the next week or so…for sure would love to meet you guys 🙂
Frank
Sounds like a plan.. or two :-). Looking forward to hearing from you then once it’s finalized. I’m for number one, especially because you guys just got back from East Europe.. 🙂 Time for tapas..lol
omg, i would LOVE to climb up to the top!!! great tips on proper footwear and water–on too many of my travels i’ve been caught in sandals that are not the most appropriate shoes for things like this!;-)
looks like an AMAZING visit!
It was a nice view at the top for sure. It was worth the dry mouth :-). I always have a laugh when l see the poor girls holding on for dear life.. Spanish and Maltese women also, grew up with these streets, it’s not for the faint hearted, and not time to try and be dainty.. We saw this poor girl once in Malta who was on crutches on her holiday, thanks to a broken bone she said.. Congrats again!
Ah, I was in Seville some 25 years ago, SPLENDID city…. especially loved La Giralda…..does the flamenco barrio with its tiny calles and clubs still exist?
Yes, they do Joanne, yes they do! I bet it looks the same as when you visited. Years from now, it’s comforting to think that everything will still be preserved. One of the few new things l think is Metropol Parasol that l wrote about before that was discovered by accident. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Wow! Just wow! What an incredibly beautiful building. I am always amazed at the amazing buildings that were built before the modern age of machines. It is fascinating!
It is amazingly beautiful. They meant to impress, and impress they do. I can’t even begin to think of the man hours that went into it. So many gorgeous stain glass windows too. Truly lovely.
Wow! That is really impressive. Just the thought that it was built over 100 years makes me lose my minds. It’s absolutely incredible and the result is quite impressive: climbing 34 floors to the bell tower? Wow!
I felt like Superwoman after the climb.. :-). No, really, it wasn’t too bad, just really, really hot and kind of dark and crowded. Imagine the people that started construction never even saw it completed 🙁
How much did that cost to build?? It looks amazing and breathtaking. I would gladly spend a day exploring it (of course with supplies)
I tried to find out how much it cost too, but l couldn’t find the information anywhere.. I was curious too! I’m sure you would enjoy it very much..
Thank you for such a detailed write up about the cathedral and giralda – I’m going to be in Sevilla at the start of September to celebrate a (very significant) birthday and was wondering about how much/how long etc it would take to see these buildings – now I know!
Congratulations on getting some really great photos – it can be very challenging to get good photos without a flash.
I do, however, doubt that I shall climb the tower – here’s what happens to me & church towers: http://www.hiddenspain.info/wordpress/2013/05/24/a-grand-day-out/ – but maybe I’ll get brave!
Superb post!
Oh my God! You had me cracking up as l pictured you going down the stairs “gracefully” :-). Maybe you should stick with just looking up at the Giralda instead. We were thinking that when his mum visits, we will try climbing the other side which looks much lower, so that might be better. I will report back to you. I hope you get in touch when you come down, it would be nice to meet up if you have time. Federico handled the camera, way better with lighting than me for sure. I only used the cell phone. I would have liked the cheese festival if it had mozzarella and goat cheese :-). Thanks for the comment..
There’s always goats cheese! You should try & make it up here one time!
I’ll send you a message when I know where & when we’ll be in Sevilla (probably 4th-6th Sept)
Glad my post gave you a laugh!
Sounds good! 🙂