Seville

Seville
The UNESCO Comittee named the Cathedral, the Alcazar and the Archivo de Indias as world heritages because of their testimony to the civilization of Christian Andalusia.

All three of them are also directly connected with the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. His tomb lies in the Cathedral, the Archivio the Indias houses an important collection of documents from this period in time.

The Cathedral of Seville is also the largest Gothic building in Europe. Its Giralda Tower was constructed as a minaret during the 12th century, when a large mosque stood at this site. After the Christians reclaimed Seville, they left the minaret intact.

Libraries . Christopher Columbus . Cathedrals . WHS Hotspot . Mudejar style .



Visit July 1991

From the famous cities in Andalusia, Seville impressed me as the most sophisticated. And expensive. And the one with the most American tourists.

Conclusion: the heart of the city is beautiful in a cultivated way, a bit too much cultivated to my taste however.

Reviews

Adrian Lakomy (Slovakia):
I spent some more time in Andalucia so i coulnt skip all the WH site which are located here.
I started with Seville - it is a town which absolutely deserves the WH title. It is a vibrant town with great food, architecture and people.
Cathedral from outside maybe doesn't look like the biggest gothic one but as you are inside you start to believe it. Next of all those pillars holding the ceiling you feel so small. Cathedral itself is surrounded with several chapels and with former minaret and now a bell tower - Giralda. There are no stairs inside just a ramp where horses were used in past. View from the top is breath taking.
Later i visited Alcazar and its gardens. This is for me the top of Sevilla. I could spend there whole day without even realising it. Palace is divided in parts - gothic and mudejar (which is nicer). In comparison with Alhambra i liked this place more. So the best advice is to plan at least 2 hours for visiting Alcazar.
 
Philip T.K. (Canada):
The Seville Cathedral is supposed to be the world's largest; it's immense size is quite a sight. The interior is also impressive with its numerous chapels and tombs. The Spaniards claim to hold Christopher Columbus' remains at the cathedral although the Dominican Republic also claim to hold it. Nevertheless, his tomb at the cathedral is still beautiful with the four kings representing the kingdoms that make up present-day Spain carrying it. The Royal Chapel or Capilla Real housing several royal tombs is off-limits to tourists although I managed to peak through the curtains. Finally, the view from the top of the Giralda Tower aftering a tiring climb of 34 ramps is both breathtaking and rewarding.

The Alcazar, right next to the cathedral, is also worth visiting. We had to catch a train to Granada so I only had about an hour to visit it, but from what I saw, the place shared many similarities with the Alhambra in its architecture and beauty and its garden was gorgeous with its palm trees. I would absolutely suggest a visit.

Both the cathedral and the Alcazar were undergoing restorations at the time of my visit and some restored areas were covered up with life-size pictures showing what was behind it. I've attached a picture to demonstrate the practice.
 
g shaw (uk):
I found Seville a fascinating place around every corner was another stunning building, with its winding streets around the cathedral and its delightful tapas bars a very cosmopolitan place with something for everyone .The parking was straightforward the accomodation is inexpensive a great place to visit
 
Ann Reeves, California, USA (USA):
Sevilla is indeed a sophisticated city like many in large cities in Europe. It is also full of historic detail. We took one of the local bus tours around the city which is alot easier than driving yourself. The historic center is fairly difficult to navigate and we kept going in circles
without finding our destination, the Alcazar, finally parking and walking to it. The Alcazar- magnificent mudejar palace. I didn't think it could get better than the Alhambra (Granada) but it did. I especially enjoyed the grounds and the watering system the Moors employed. I climbed to the top the Giralda and I was grateful they had little displays on the landings where one could catch their breath. Wonderful view of Sevilla from the top. The Cathedral is indeed massive and
very interesting. The city has many beautiful parks and gardens, an oasis of color. We attended a Flamenco dinner show that our hotel had recommended and it was very entertaining and the food very good. There are also ceramic/pottery shops where the products are made across the river
from the bullring, but I can't remember the name of the area. I really enjoyed our stay in Sevilla.
 
Jim Humberd (USA):
Seville’s Cathedral, with two aisles plus chapels on each side of the nave, is the world’s largest Gothic building. There’s room for a ball game and a church service at the same time, neither would disturb the other. Its bell tower, The Giralda, is one of the finest examples of Moorish tower architecture. The Cathedral is huge, and a portion of the ceiling vaults are embellished by barnacle-like encrustation. There are 45 yard-square sculptured scenes, each filled with intense detail.

The City of Seville and its Cathedral are fascinating and attractive, and certainly deserved much more time than we had available, that time.
 


Have you been to Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias in Seville ? Share your experiences!

Add your own review