La Catedral de Sevilla, A Sight to See!

Photo by Maria Jose

By Ashley Lyons

  The most fascinating moment I had in Seville was my visit to the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, also known simply as the Seville Cathedral and the Torre Giralda. It was unlike anything that I have ever seen. The Seville Cathedral is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world. It has Gothic style architecture throughout the entire place to show Seville’s wealth. The Tower of Giralda has very intricate patterns as well as the cathedral done in heavy Gothic stonework. The ceilings were extremely high done in stone and bricks with stained glass windows everywhere you look. There’s a monument inside the cathedral of Christopher Columbus where his remains are at its final resting place. Men representing the four kingdoms of Spain at the time are holding up the tomb. I thought this was kind of cool visiting a piece of history of a man we’ve been learning about in history since a child. There is a main mass area that is used for special occasion made up all of silver. The main choir area holds 117 chairs and has a large pipe organ that I wish I had the chance to experience.All of the mahogany wood that was around the church came straight from Cuba that gave the cathedral a real authentic feel. There were many beautiful paintings all around the church. It almost felt like we were in a museum with all of the history around us. The cathedral is still open to the public for mass and it is in Spanish. They are free to attend, but short in time. There are three times a day for daily mass. The Giralda is the bell tower attached to the cathedral. It’s over 300 feet tall. This was a rough walk up, but a beautiful sight to see overlooking all of Seville. You can see all the beautiful terracotta roofs and rooftop pools and gardens of people’s homes. Instead of stairs, the tower is a ramp going up 36 flights. It was made as a ramp so men were able to go up with horses more quickly than walking. The pathway was so narrow you can only pass by one at a time. Going down on foot was definitely harder than going up! 

Seville: Home of the 360° Views

By Liz Mercado

When we first arrived in Seville, I noticed that it was more crowded and had less of a coastal feel than any city we visited in Portugal. I was impressed when I saw that Seville had more shopping areas, restaurants and a busier nightlife. While Portugal was more relaxed, Seville had more sights to see, and the city came to life after dark. In Seville, I was able to see many different types of buildings, foods, and had the opportunity to experience authentic Spanish culture. The most fascinating moment of my visit to Seville was our journey to the Seville Cathedral. I loved learning about the history of religions and seeing old churches, but I have never been able to experience anything like the Seville Cathedral. Our guide, Gloria, told us that the cathedral is the third largest in the world, and was built in the Gothic architectural style. She took us into the cathedral, and I was mesmerized by the huge, vaulted ceilings, and the spectacular organs on each side of the cathedral that were made out of wood and carved with intricate designs.

Today, they are no longer owned by private families, and remain a part of the cathedral. Next, we were led into a room where there was a large, wooden, statue of Christ on the cross and explained that it was made here in Spain. Gloria talked about the importance of religion in Spain, and taught us about the parades that take place in the city every Easter during La Semana Santa, where people carry a heavy statue of Christ on their backs throughout the city. There were separate areas of the cathedral, blocked off by large, iron gates, and Gloria explained that these areas were once privately owned by wealthy families. These families would have these sections of the cathedral as their own personal place of worship and could even be buried there. After she told us about the traditions and practices of La Semana Santa, Gloria led us into a room that contained some of the treasures the cathedral owned. We saw gold goblets dating back over 500 years, gold plates, and even two crowns decorated with pearls and jewels.  They were spectacular. I loved visiting the Seville Cathedral, and my absolute favorite part was climbing the tower that contained a ramp with 34 turns, and seeing the mesmerizing 360 views of the entire city of Seville.

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