Seville Cathedral and the Giralda

UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cathedral, Alcazar And Archive Of The Indies, Inscribed 1987), The Largest Gothic Church In The World By Volume, Begun 1401 On The Site Of The Almohad Mosque Whose Minaret Survives As The Giralda · Seville, Andalusia

The largest Gothic church in the world by volume, built on the footprint of the mosque it replaced, by a chapter who reportedly agreed to build something so large that future generations would think them mad. They succeeded. The interior is so big that it defeats photography and takes a while to register as a room at all; the main altarpiece is a wall of gilded carved scenes forty-five metres high, worked on for the better part of a century by one man and then others. Columbus has a tomb here carried by four bearers, and the remains in it have been genetically tested and are probably his. The best part is older than the church: the Giralda, the minaret of the mosque, kept as a bell tower and climbed by thirty-five ramps instead of stairs because it was built to be ridden up on horseback. That makes the best view in Seville reachable by almost anyone, which is rare in a building of this age.

Avenida de la Constitucion, Seville, Andalusia, 41004, Spain

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: open daily on TIMED SLOTS with a SHORTER SUNDAY because of services, and separate summer and winter schedules. Last admission is well before closing and the Giralda stops admitting earlier than the cathedral. A FREE SLOT runs on one afternoon a week and is released online in advance. The rooftop tour runs on its own limited departures. SEMANA SANTA closes the building to visitors for long periods. Confirm before booking.

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