Seville Cathedral, 2010

Seville's cathedral is 14th-15th century built over the mosque, which was built over the Visigothic church, which was probably built over a Roman temple, which was probably built over a Celtic temple, etc.  Recycling is not such a new idea. Anyhow, the cathedral is said to be the 3rd largest religious building in Christendom, after St. Peter's and St. Paul's. (Check this out in the Guinness Book). It did not strike us as so large...neither particularly high nor long. I don't know how they calculate these things...maybe it's all the side chapels and other buildings that add up. (Are they really integral, structurally, to the main building? my inner architect asks...). There was plenty of other stuff of interest, however.

Seville Cathedral

Ceiling at the crossing

Largest altar in Christendom; I wonder if the

people of Peru or Mexico would like to have

some of their gold back

Silver (spare) altar piece; 3,500 lbs.

Moorish depiction of the Giralda, as it was

before the reconquista

The huge choir blocks any possible view

from one end to the other; can't let the

common people see what's going on on the

other side....

The poorly-lit Big Attraction...the tomb of Cristobal Colon,

who sailed the ocean blue, in 1492; now what do you think

of that?

Ceiling of one of the side chapels

Column in side chapel depicting agonies of hell...

something we always look for

The cloisters, now sort of an orangerie, but was originally

the ablution court for the mosque; Moorish irrigation bricks

still in place