Spain and Portugal for Visitors

The largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world, the largest mediaeval Gothic building in the world, and the third largest cathedral in any style (second if you count Saint Peter's as a basilica, not a cathedral), Seville Cathedral is so big that Théophile Gautier called it "a hollow mountain, an upside down valley," adding that "Notre Dame could walk with its head high down Seville Cathedral's centre aisle, which is terrifyingly high." Forty-two metres high, to be precise, bearing out the prediction of an anonymous Cathedral Chapter member that "We shall have a church so big and of such a kind that those who see it built will think we were mad."

The most famous part of the cathedral is its belltower, the Giralda, actually the minaret from the Almohad mosque which had stood on the site, once the highest tower in the world at 97.5 m and still the tallest structure in Seville. But the cathedral itself is more than worthy of note, and not just for its superlative dimensions (Wikipedia notes that "even the side chapels seem tall enough to contain an ordinary church"). Its main altarpiece is not only considered the largest in the Christian world, but is also arguably the richest. It is huge, depicts forty-five carved and gilted scenes from the life of Christ, is deemed to be one of the finest examples of Gothic woodcarving anywhere and most remarkably of all was the life's work of a single craftsman, one Pierre Dancart.

One of the cathedral's draws is the tomb of Christopher Columbus. This takes the form of four, larger than life-sized statues of kings, representing the kingdoms of Aragón, León, Castile and Navarre, carrying the coffin of Columbus on their shoulders. It was originally made for the cathedral in Havana, Cuba.

You exit the cathedral into the shade and scent of the orange trees in the Patio de las Naranjas.

Click here for Seville Cathedral opening hours, entrance prices, and how to get there.