Firstly an apology for the length of today's report, but I hope that you think it's wroth it.
Checking the available information, I was able to make a plan for the day, knowing that some things would be open at 9:30am, while others like the Cathedral would not be open until 11:00am. And for a change, it's nice to be in a flat city!
The apartment I'm staying in is near the bridge on the left side of the map, while the Alcazar and Cathedral are right next door to each other, about 30 minutes walk from here - so they were the first target.
The Alcazar of Seville (Spanish "Reales Alcázares de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville", is a royal palace which was originally a Moorish fort. As an official residence of the Royal Family (one of many, it would seem) it is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and it was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Almohades were the first to build a palace, which was called Al-Muwarak, on the site of
the modern day Alcázar; the palace is one of the best remaining examples of mudejar architecture. Subsequent monarchs have added their own additions to the Alcázar.
The Alcázar of Seville is one of the most representative monumental compounds in the city, the country and the Mediterranean culture as a whole. The historical evolution of the city in the last millennium is held within its walls and gardens, amalgamating influences starting from the Arabic period, late Middle Ages Mudéjar right through to the Renaissance, Baroque and the 19th Century.
Basically, a series of palace buildings and gardens, it is a major tourist drawcard. However, although the plaster-work seems better preserved (or renovated), overall the Alcaar is actually a little bit of a let-down after the Alhambra (but don't tell the locals I said that, now will you?); however, it's certainly still worth a visit when in Seville.
In the interests of my sanity, rather than captioning each and every photograph in this section, instead I will group them into shorter galleries - I say shorter, but each may be quite extensive, because it is still quite photogenic.
First-up, a selection of general building shots:
The proper name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede). It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. The cathedral is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus (if finding the Americas [which didn't know that they were lost] in 1492).
Seville Cathedral was built to demonstrate the city's wealth, as it had become a major trading centre in the years after the Reconquista in 1248, particularly due to its port, which is 80km inland from the sea. Construction began in 1402 and continued until 1506.
Now this bit gets just a little bit Monty Python-esque as in : "I built it, it fell down, so I rebuilt it".
Five years after construction ended, in 1511, the dome collapsed and work on the cathedral recommenced. The dome again collapsed in 1888, and work was still being performed on the dome until at least 1903. The 1888 collapse occurred due to an earthquake and resulted in the destruction of "every precious object below" the dome at that time, but clearly that didn't stop them.
The interior has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain. The central nave rises to a height of 42 meters and is lavishly dcorated with a large quantity of gilding. In the main body of the cathedral, the most noticeable features are the great boxlike choir loft, which fills the central portion of the nave, and the vast Gothic retablo of carved scenes from the life of Christ. This altarpiece was the lifetime work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart, but was unfortunately out of action today, as it is undergoing extensive renovations.
The builders used some columns and other elements from the ancient mosque, including its minaret, which was converted into a bell tower known as La Giralda, now the city's most well-known symbol, apparently reflecting the co-existence in the city of Muslim and Christian - however, I'm not sure how the Christians taking over (or re-conquesting) and then repurposing a Muslim building as their own can be said to demonstrate co-existence.
The cathedral has 80 chapels, in which in 1896 it was reported that 500 masses were said daily.
In July 1401 it was decided to build a new cathedral. According to local oral tradition, the members of the cathedral chapter said: "Hagamos una Iglesia tan hermosa y tan grandiosa que los que la vieren labrada nos tengan por locos" ("Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will think we are mad").; I believe that they managed to achieve their aim, and handsomely so!
Firstly, some external shots of the Cathedral, and the Giralda Tower:
At about 3pm I was sent away being told that the next tour was at 3:30pm and would last 15 minutes, that it needed a minimum of 2 people and would be conducted in Spanish.
So, as only the Spanish can do, I was let in at 3:50pm, the tour began at 4pm, I was the only person, and it was conducted entirely in English. It was fantastic, and by far the best 4 euros I've spent so far. Highly recommended that you find this gem and check it out if you ever have the chance. In a couple of the shots, you will see the view from outside the tower, and then the view on the Camera Oscura.