Cathedral of Seville

The cathedral of Seville , (in Spanish: Catedral de Santa María of Sedea or Catedral de Sevilla ) in Andalusia was built between 1402 and the 16th century. Of Gothic style, it has a bell-tower of style hispano-Moorish, old minaret of a mosque Almohade destroyed (the Giralda ).

Description

It is one of vastest, in terms of covered surface and volume, of all the catholic cathedrals of the world - by remembering that the Saint-Pierre basilica of Rome is not a cathedral in a strict sense - and obviously largest of Spain. Its dimensions also make of it the largest Gothic building entirely built with the Middle Ages. It is 115 meters long, 76 meters broad; the vaults of its central nave rise with the 42 meters height, which is comparable with the cathedrals of Cologne or Amiens - lower however than those of Milan, Palma and Beauvais. Each side chapel could itself contain an ordinary church.

History

The building was built instead of a Mosquée almohade, with the aim of symbolize, by a prestigious monument, the prosperity of the Andalusian capital become a large commercial city after the Reconquista. On Friday, July 8, 1401, during the meeting of the chapter which was to decide the construction of the monument, one of the canons pronounced this sentence which describes well the frame of mind of the authorities sévillanes: " Let us build a temple so large that those which will see beginning work we will take for the insane ones! " The builders re-used elements and columns of the mosque and transformed into bell-tower its minaret, the famous tower of the Giralda, become the symbol of the city today. The interior, with the longest nave of Spain, is decorated in a sumptuous way, with gold profusion. In the principal body of the building is distinguished the chorus, which occupies the center of the nave. It opens on Capilla Mayor, which is dominated by the colossal Gothic retable including/understanding 45 carved panels representing of the scenes of the life of Christ. This chief of single and truly extraordinary work of the sculptor Pierre Dancart is the work of a whole life: it is the richest table of the largest furnace bridge and of the world and one of the most sumptuous carved parts of the Gothic art.

The cathedral has moreover an important collection of parts of goldsmithery, painted tables and statues, as well as the tomb of Christophe Colomb.

External bonds

the cathedral (XIVe - XVIe S.) Chronology of the construction of the cathedral on the site of Association the Admiral of the Sea Océane
the burial of Colonist in the cathedral of Seville on the site of Association the Admiral of the Sea Océane
Page devoted to the description of the cathedral on the gate of the town of Seville
The Cathedral off Seville on a site of information on Andalusia

Random links: