About Seville, the capital of Andalusia, which is located in Spain, they say that it was founded by the ancient Greek mythical hero Hercules. A beautiful city and magnificent monuments of culture, art and religion, which always attract the attention of hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world.
So the Cathedral of Seville (Spain) is also striking in its splendor. The full official name that the cathedral bears is Santa Maria de la Cede.
The history of the construction of the cathedral
This temple was built not from scratch, but where a mosque stood during the Reconquista.
Back in the ninth century, the Caliph of Cordoba ordered a mosque to be erected in Seville for a large number of believers. A huge white building was erected for several centuries. But it so happened that the mosque was badly damaged during the earthquake. At the end of the reconquest, when the Christians were able to conquer the area from the Arab caliphate, they decided to build a cathedral here. But by the time of perestroika, the mosque remained in complete desolation and ruin. But the building material left over from it was used in the construction of the Christian Cathedral. It was erected throughout the entire fifteenth century, and construction was completed in the nineteenth year of the sixteenth century.
Seville Cathedral covers a fairly large area. Namely: more than a hundred meters in length and almost a hundred in width. This is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, which was achieved both due to the area and the height. Guests are always amazed at the size of it, but still it does not reach the area of the mosque that once stood on this site. Precisely because it was built on the remains of a Muslim cathedral, it differs from all European churches in that it has a rectangular hall. In combination with the lighting solution, height, size, this gives the cathedral visitor a unique feeling of infinite space.
Description of the famous landmark
Due to the fact that the Cathedral of Seville was built for many years, it absorbed several architectural styles, which, however, are quite harmoniously combined with each other. Due to the many buildings surrounding the cathedral, only the facade of the building is visible from the street. But if you enter, he is struck by the play of light. Inside the cathedral shimmers with colorful rays. Colored stained-glass windows as many as seventy-five. They are considered the best in Europe. Created these windows by Christopher Aleman.
Chapel
Seville Cathedral has five extensions on the side and a huge main chapel. Especially in it a flaming arch attracts the eye. Peering over the openwork lattice of the chapel, which itself surprises with exquisite magnificence, guests can see the retable, consisting of forty-five figures. In the niches of the iconostasis are sculptures based on the plots of the Gospel. The authors of the retable were the Flemish Dancart, who created the sculpture of the Madonna, the Spanish sculptor Jorge Fernandez. The painting was done by Alejo Fernandez.
In the cathedral is the royal tomb. Here lie the remains of the Spanish Alphonse X the Wise and Pedro I the Cruel.
In the center, in a niche, there are eight pilasters, between which there is a carved wooden figure made of larch. She is adorned with jewelry. The figure symbolizes the patroness of the city. Once it was made with the addition of a mechanism that rotates the head and moves the hands, but it broke.
The cathedral is richly decorated with paintings by famous artists such as Velazquez and Murillo. In addition, it contains many expensive jewelry, historical and holy relics. The cross of the cathedral was cast from gold, which Columbus himself brought from America. The relics are stored in the temple, which according to some claims belong to the navigator himself, according to others - to his son Diego. Here is a mysterious story surrounding the mystery of Seville Cathedral. Seville is proud of this and is happy to share knowledge of the great traveler with guests of the city.
Bell tower
The bell tower is nearby. It reaches a height of more than one hundred meters and is decorated with beautiful patterns and ornaments. The bell tower is part of the former mosque, or rather, its minaret, and is an older building. It was built at the beginning of the eleventh century. But as a minaret it was much smaller, its height in those days was only eighty-two meters. The remaining thirty-two meters were completed in the sixteenth century. This bell tower is called the Giralda.
In addition, buildings such as the “Gate of Forgiveness” were preserved from the mosque, followed by the Orange Courtyard and the fountain.
Sacristia Major and Altar
Seville Cathedral is also interesting in that it is located in its vaults. So, Sacristy Major surprises with the masterpieces of Spanish painters. The main sacristy is decorated with a large silver donor guardian Custodia, and an ark made of the same metal, reaching a height of three meters. Here is the key of Seville.
The altar adorning the Cathedral of Seville is considered the most expensive. Its design took three tons of gold. This altar is called the most beautiful in the whole country. In addition, it is the largest in Spain. It was carved from larch, walnut and chestnut wood for almost a hundred years.
The work “Christ” by the Seville sculptor Juan Martinez leaves a vivid impression. He performed it at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The sculpture is a crucifix. It is located in the chapel of San Andres. In sacristy, Las Calises holds the canvas of the work of Francisco Goya "Saints Justa and Rufina" and the work of other famous Spanish artists.
Choirs
Of great interest are the choirs of the Seville Cathedral. The wooden seats of the halls are decorated with fine carvings and are beautifully inlaid. Here you can see the Gothic style with the influence of Mudejar and Plateresco. In the manufacture of oak was used, but there are inserts made from other types of wood. On the backs are depicted human vices and sins. In the part where the clergy are supposed to sit, the sections are decorated with arches, on which are placed wooden figurines depicting religious figures.
You can not pass by the sights adorning the Cathedral of Seville - a magnificent crown of gold. There are four angels on it. The entire crown is also decorated with precious stones. The angel, which is located in the main, front, part is a real raw pearl that resembles a human shape.
