 The
Cathedral of Seville is the largest
Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world and has
a total of five naves! Beside magnificent grave sculptures from
the Middle Ages, also the
tomb of Christopher
Columbus can be found there.
The cathedral was built between 1401-1519 in the Gothic style
on the remains of a 12th Century Arab mosque.
The famous bell
tower of the cathedral, known as "Giralda",
was originally one of the minarets of the old Moorish mosque, built
in 1196. It was once one of the tallest structures in the world
and became the landmark of the city. Remarkably this tower can be
ascended on horseback up to the gallery at 70 m height! Instead
of stairs, a 2.50 m wide ramp was built with a height, that allows
a faster ascent on horseback.
Even though we are not friends of bullfighting, we found the
visit of the Maestranza Bullring at
Seville quite interesting. With its impressive yellow-and-white
Baroque facade and beautiful 16th-century iron gates, built 1762
-1881, it is considered to be one of the finest in Spain and one
of the oldest and most important in the world. The arena accommodates
about 12500 spectators. The bullring houses also a museum, that
gives interesting insights into the long tradition and history of
bullfighting, highlighting legendary bullfighters. The exhibits
include bullfighting costumes, paintings, photos, sculptures, bronzes
etc. A guided tour is strongly recommended.
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