Catedral de Sevilla

About Catedral de Sevilla

📜 History

Seville Cathedral was built on the site of the great Almohad mosque erected between 1172 and 1198. After the Christian conquest of Seville on November 23, 1248, the mosque was provisionally consecrated as a cathedral. In 1401, the chapter agreed to erect a new temple of monumental proportions, and the major works took place between 1433 and 1507, with Master Carlín (Charles Gauter de Rúan) being the main person in charge from 1439. The last stone was placed on October 6, 1506, and the building was consecrated in 1507, although work on the dependencies continued until 1593. On December 28, 1511, a pillar and the main dome collapsed; they were rebuilt between 1511 and 1517 by Juan Gil de Hontañón. In August 1888, a new dome collapsed and was rebuilt by Joaquín Fernández. In 1987, the complex formed by the cathedral, the Royal Alcázar, and the Archive of the Indies was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

🏛️ Architecture

The cathedral features a rectangular floor plan with five naves, an unusual design in European Gothic, measuring 116 meters in length, 76 meters in width, and 105 meters in height. The building rests on 28 exterior pillars and 32 freestanding pillars that support 68 ribbed vaults. Its construction spanned several stylistic periods: Gothic predominates in the main structure, complemented by Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic elements added in chapels and dependencies over the centuries. The predominant material is fossiliferous calcarenite from the Sierra de San Cristóbal, in Puerto de Santa María. The Giralda, the former Almohad minaret tower built between 1184 and 1198, reaches 104 meters in height; in the 16th century, Hernán Ruiz added the Renaissance bell tower section that crowns it. The Main Altarpiece, begun in 1482 by the sculptor Pedro Dancart and completed by Juan Bautista Vázquez el Viejo, is the largest known Christian altarpiece. The Patio de los Naranjos, the former ablutions courtyard of the mosque, measures 43 by 81 meters and is preserved integrated into the cathedral complex.

⭐ Key Facts

The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Seville and the main center of Catholic worship in the city. Its patron saint is the Virgen de los Reyes, whose feast day is celebrated on August 15 with liturgical events of centuries-old tradition. Among its tombs are those of Ferdinand III the Saint, Alfonso X the Wise, Pedro I, and Christopher Columbus, whose remains rest in the funerary monument designed by Arturo Mélida and inaugurated on November 17, 1902. The presence of Columbus's remains makes the temple a reference point for historical heritage linked to the discovery of America. In 1987, the cathedral complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in 2010 it received recognition of Outstanding Universal Value. In 1988, the Guinness Book of World Records certified it as the cathedral with the largest surface area in the world. In 2017, it received 1,934,373 visitors, making it the fifth most visited monument in Spain, a figure that in 2023 exceeded two million annual visits.

To tour Seville Cathedral is to delve into more than eight centuries of history accumulated within its walls: from the silence of the Patio de los Naranjos to the height of the Gothic naves, from the side chapels to the tomb of those who changed the course of history. The Giralda, visible from much of the city, serves as a point of orientation before crossing its doors. The temple remains active as a place of prayer and liturgical celebration, adding a living dimension to its status as a historical monument.

✍️ Curated by Thomas Anderson · Last updated: 2025-07-05
Information verified by the EncuentraIglesias editorial team