Seville Cathedral And La Giralda – Stunning Ode To Excess In Andalusia

Updated: January 16, 2023

seville cathedral la giralda
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Seville Cathedral street view.

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.

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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.

seville cathedral and la giralda
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La Giralda and Seville Cathedral are two awesome places to visit in Seville.

Allow yourself plenty of time to see the wonderful historic icons ofย  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.ย  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!

catedral courtyard in Seville
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Seville Cathedral Interior: Just one of the courtyards at Cathedral Seville that we encountered while wandering around.
Inside the Sevilla Cathedral with naves. #sevillecathedral #seville #sevillecatedral #andalusia #sevilleguide #sevilleitinerary #spain
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Inside the Cathedral of Seville. The altarpiece is behind those gates.

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 seeย  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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Some of the gold ornaments at catedral de sevilla..
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Some of the gold collections at the Catedral de Sevilla.
pure gold stature at catedral de sevilla
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Catedral Sevilla – some of the most amazing collections of pure gold, including crowns and saint figurines like this one.
silver seville cathedral interior silver king statue
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Lots of silver statues too with history can be found in the Seville Cathedral interior chapels.

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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alter at seville cathedral
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Catedral de Sevilla interior – one of them any altars on the inside.

La Catedral de Sevilla: Amazing artwork

religious painting at seville cathedral and La Giralda tour #sevillecathedral #seville #spain #sevilleguide
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Seville sights to see must include the Cathedral Seville and La Giralda towers. Amazing collection of religious artwork can be found in many of the rooms in the interior.
painting at seville cathedral
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So many wonderful art pieces inside the Catedral de Sevilla. A feast for the eyes. Some were sobering like this one while others celebrated birth and saints.
seville cathedral chapel #sevillecathedral #mustvisitseville #sevilleguide #andalusia #sevilleitinerary
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One of the chapels inside the Seville Cathedral. This one looked elegant but it was inviting at the same time and l think one of my favorites.

Similar Seville Sights: La Seta Seville

interior seville cathedral stain glass window and religious artifacts
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Seville Cathedral interior – The stained glass windows are stunning and the details of the rooms really awesome.
gold gilded altar at seville cathedral
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All that glitters really is gold! :-). There is lots of it at the Seville Cathedral


San fernando pedro roldan
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Sevilla Catedral interior – so many historical rulers and history. This is a statue of San Fernando Pedro Roldan.

You might also like: Maria Luisa Park

 Cristo de los Calices by the artist Juan Martinez Montanez in Seville Cathedral
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This is calledย  Crucified Christ by the artist Juan Martinez Montanez in La Catedral de Sevilla

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 ๐Ÿ˜‰ , 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 :-(.

seville cathedral bells
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Giralda Seville – The Giralda tower has a lot of steps to reach the top, but it’s well worth the climb.

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,ย  was not as bad as during the high season.

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La Giralda: The stunning views of Seville

seville cathedral giralda view
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Seville Tower View: Looking down from the la Giralda de Sevilla of the city of Seville. An absolutely amazing one at that.
seville giralda view of the catedral sevilla
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View from the Sevilla Giralda looking onto the rooftop of the Catedral Sevilla

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.ย  You are so thirsty after you get up there.

– Bring a hand fan if you can. At the very least,ย  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.

seville catheral altar
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The amount of pure gold inside the Seville Cathedral is simply amazing. This is gated off so you can’t get any closer than this ๐Ÿ™‚

– 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!

christopher columbus tomb at seville cathedral
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Seville cathedral Christopher Columbus tomb
Christopher Columbus tomb 2 at Seville Cathedral carried by four men.
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Side view of the Christopher Columbus tomb Catedral de Sevilla

– The Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Courtyard) was the original courtyard of the prior ancient mosque.

seville cathedral view 2
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Looking from La Giralda into the courtyard of oranges at the Seville Cathedral.

– 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.

la puerta de bautismo - seville cathedral
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La Puerta de Bautismo (entrada catedral de Sevilla)

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.

door of conception
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The door of Conception leads to the courtyard of Oranges in the Seville Cathedral.
Door of Forgiveness, even though l found it hard to forgive the throng of people in the shot, making for this half shot..
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Door of Forgiveness entrace to the Catedral de Sevilla and La Giralda, even though l found it hard to forgive the throng of people in the shot, making for this half shot..It belonged to the Mosque

– The Seville Cathedral has 80 chapels! I told you it was big. Up to 500 masses were said daily.

renaissance vault at seville cathedral
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Seville cathedral interior

– La Giralda is 343 ft tall (108 meters). It measures 44 feet (13 meters) along each side.

La Giralda tower Seville Spain
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Giralda tower in Sevilla.

– It’s official name is Catedral de Santa Marรญaย  ( Cathedral of Saint Mary )

seville cathedral main door
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Main door to the Seville Cathedral and Giralda

– 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.ย  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: โ‚ฌ8

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?

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29 thoughts on “Seville Cathedral And La Giralda – Stunning Ode To Excess In Andalusia”

  1. 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.

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    • 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.. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    • 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.. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    • 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!

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  2. 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.

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    • 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.

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  3. 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)

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    • 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.

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      • 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 ๐Ÿ™‚
        Frank

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        • 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.. ๐Ÿ™‚ Time for tapas..lol

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  4. 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!

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    • 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!

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    • 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. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    • 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.

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  5. 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!

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    • 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 ๐Ÿ™

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    • 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..

      Reply
  6. 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: https://www.hiddenspain.info/wordpress/2013/05/24/a-grand-day-out/ – but maybe I’ll get brave!
    Superb post!

    Reply
    • 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..

      Reply

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