The Giralda and the three treasures of Seville

Wednesday, October 30, 2019                                                                         Seville

The Giralda - bell tower of Seville's Cathedral

Seville’s architectural treasures have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Real Alcazar, the Giralda and the Cathedral.

The first element you notice from most parts of the city is the tall tower: the Giralda. At its feet, is the largest existing Gothic Cathedral.

The Seville Cathedral (r), the  General Archives of the Indies (l) and the Plaza del Triunfo

The external walls of the Alcazar fortress and palace

The east facade of the Cathedral and the Giralda

The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral. For a long time, it was the tallest tower in the world, standing at 97.5 m in height, in addition to being one of the most famous images of the city and Andalusia. The tower consists of two different but perfectly unified pieces.  The Muslim core is the oldest part, started in 1184 to be the minaret of the Almohad mosque of Seville. Interestingly, the Giralda does not have stairs, but instead has 35 ramps wide enough to allow the Sultan to ascend mounted on horseback to see the beautiful view.

In the 17th century, the current Christian part, the bell tower that tops the tower, was added by the architect Hernán Ruiz. The top of the tower is the “Lily section” which has four jars of bronze lilies, one on each corner. And above this, there is still another section in a more Renaissance style. 

A full size reproduction of the Giraldillo, the 1568 weather vane, representing Faith, at the top of the tower 

The base of the Giralda was built in the 12th century as the minaret for the mosque

At the very top is the Giraldillo, the beautiful weathervane that crowns it and is one of the symbols of the city. The Giraldillo is 10 fee tall, cast of bronze, and weighs more than a ton.  The Giralda is a perfect symbiosis of different architectural styles, and different civilizations. It is a tower that begins by being a minaret and ends up being a bell tower. When you climb up to the top, as Michael did, you can see the whole city. 

Approaching the Giralda from the western city streets of old town