Why
Seville Cathedral
and its Giralda Tower
are special

The Seville Cathedral's golden altarpiece is awesome and its tall bell tower, the Giralda, is a Moorish architectural masterpiece.

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Seville Cathedral
tips & insights

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Construction

The Seville Cathedral was built over a grand mosque. It took just a tad more than a century to build, which is remarkably fast considering its size, complexity and construction era. During the planning stages, an official famously said, "Let's build a church so large that viewers will think we're crazy". It was built large, incredibly so.

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Top attraction

The altarpiece in the main chapel is the Seville Cathedral's finest attraction. It rises 27 meters (90 feet) and its numerous skillfully sculpted wooden statues and other carvings are thickly gilded, making it the world's richest and most dazzling altarpiece.

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Ceiling

It's a neck bender. The ceiling of the Seville Cathedral soars as high as a modern 13-story building.

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Christopher Columbus

He is entombed in the Seville Cathedral. This fact was confirmed by recent DNA testing.

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Giralda Tower
tips & insights

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Symbol of Seville

The Giralda Tower has become the symbol of Seville. It is 97 meters or 320 feet tall. You can see it on the right side of the cathedral in the photo.

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Originally a minaret

The Giralda Tower began its life as a minaret. It was converted into a bell tower after the Christians retook Seville from the Moors in the 13th century.

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View

For a panoramic view of the city, hike up the interior ramp of the Giralda Tower to the observatory (about 60 meters or 200 feet above street level).

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