Catedral de Sevilla

Catedral de Sevilla, cathedral in Sevilla, Spain, that, in addition to being the world’s third-largest church, is an excellent example of Gothic and Renaissance architecture and represents some seven centuries of history.

Originally it was the site of a large mosque that was built in the 12th century when the Almohad empire ruled not only Sevilla but most of Spain. However, after Spanish Christians under Ferdinand III gained possession of Sevilla in 1248, the mosque was used as a cathedral, and its interior was gradually changed to suit its new role. As Sevilla grew in importance, the Spanish decided that they wanted to build a church on a suitably grand scale to reflect the city’s position as an affluent trading centre.

Construction began in 1403 on the rectangular foundations of the mosque, and the structure took more than a century to finish, being completed in 1506. All that remains of the original mosque is the Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Courtyard) entrance court, where Muslim faithful once washed their hands and feet in the fountain before entering the mosque, and a minaret that was built between 1184 and 1196. In 1198 four copper spheres were added on top of the tower, but they were destroyed by an earthquake in 1356. When the cathedral was built, a bell was added to the onetime minaret together with the Christian symbol of the cross, transforming it into a bell tower called the Giralda. The bell tower was finished in 1568 with the addition of an 11-foot- (3.5-m-) high weather vane of a woman, representing the Christian faith, that was cast by Bartolomé Morel. Inside, the cathedral is impressive both for its artworks in the form of paintings, sculptures, and woodcarvings, and for its architectural mix of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Plateresque styles. In addition, the cathedral contains the 19th-century tomb of the explorer Christopher Columbus.