The cathedral of Santa María de la Sede stands on the site of what was the city's former aljama mosque. It was built in 1403 after the decision to replace the old mosque with a Catholic temple. It is Gothic in style and is the largest cathedral in the world in its style. Tradition assures that when its construction was approved, a religious man pronounced: this phrase: “a temple so big that those who see it finished think we are crazy.”.
UNESCO declared it in 1987 a World Heritage Site and in July 2010 an Asset of Exceptional Universal Value. The grandeur of its interior has 5 naves and 25 chapels that contain the works of some of the most famous Spanish painters.
The first architect of the work was the architect Ysambart, although he is a fairly unknown name, he was the architect who carried out the work. the original traces of the Cathedral around 1433, but beyond that From the traces it does not seem that he carried out any work in the Cathedral. It was another Frenchman, Maestro Carlín, who was responsible for most of the works, he directed The construction of the temple from its foundations to the height of the transept without making major changes to Ysambart's initial project. After the death of Carlín in the year 1448, it took He was replaced by his surveyor, Joan Normant. After a period in which several masters were hired to speed up the works, he turned to the solution of a single address, which fell to in Simón de Colonia and later in Alonso Rodríguez.
The Cathedral was completed on October 10, 1506, although in reality some works still continued. Its stylistic uniformity is not common in Gothic cathedrals, for its long construction process. In just over 70 years, the following Ysambart's original project without major modifications.
It is a temple of large proportions, divided into five naves, with a transept, and side chapels. It has a straight head, and is oriented in the same way as the primitive Aljama mosque on which it stands. The central nave and the transept are higher than the lateral ones, marking a Latin cross, and all of them are covered with pointed vaults. Chapels open in the side naves. In the center of the main nave is the choir, and the main chapel, which houses one of the main altarpieces of Christianity created between 1482 and 1564. Behind the main chapel is the the Royal Chapel, right at the head of the temple. It is rectangular in plan, and it is here where Ferdinand III the Saint and his son, Alfonso X the Wise, are buried.
On the outside, the most notable feature is the bell tower called the Giralda, which has become the universal symbol of Seville. It stands on what was the old Arab minaret from the 12th century, it is more than 100 meters high, crowned by a weather vane known as ""El Giraldillo"", which represents the victory of the Christian faith. You can go up and enjoy a beautiful image of Seville.
Do not forget to stop by the cloister of the Cathedral where the Patio de los Naranjos is located, of Arab origin and which was part of the old mosque of the city.
Monday: from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday to Saturday: from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sundays: from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
July and August (except July 17 and 25) Mondays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (box office until 3:30 p.m.) Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (box office until 5:00 p.m.) Sundays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. box office until 6:00 p.m. )