Seville Cathedral

The Seville Cathedral (Catedral de Sevilla) is also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Santa Maria de la Sede Cathedral). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It was built in the 1400s over a hundred years. Like many other Christian buildings in Andalusia, it occupies the site of a mosque that had previously been there, built by the Moors.

One of the main attractions of the Seville Cathedral is the tomb of Christopher Columbus held by allegorical figures representing the kingdoms of Spain in his time – Aragon, Castille, Navara, and Leon. DNA testing in 2006 pretty much confirms this. However, the bones present are not of a complete skeleton so it may be true that he is also buried somewhere in the Caribbean. It could also be his brother! You would think I am on a pilgrimage to honour Christopher Columbus. First the parade in Granada now this. I am not. I agree with the effort to rename Columbus Day in the United States with Indigenous Peoples Day to honour Native American peoples, their histories, and their cultures.

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The Great Chapel which is the main chapel is home to the largest altarpiece in the world. Indeed, the Seville Cathedral is like a museum. It has several paintings and sculptures by local artists.

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The courtyard is known as the patio de los naranjos, the orange tree courtyard. Orange trees are actually all over Seville. These are not sweet though. These oranges are bitter and are used to make Seville’s famous orange marmalade.

My ticket for the Seville Cathedral included a tour of the magnificent Giralda. Originally built in the 1100s as the minaret of the Aljama mosque it served to call Muslims in Seville to prayer five times a day. It’s wide enough for a donkey to climb up. It stood as the tallest building in Seville for many centuries. Now, it is the bell tower of the cathedral. From up above the views of the city are remarkable. We got a tour of the Gothic details of the cathedral’s buttresses while we were up there.

I also got an exclusive tour of the roof of Seville Cathedral. The views from up here were even more amazing. Close-up of gargoyles and architectural details such as the flying buttresses that support the church and a really good view of the Giralda itself are to be had.

Legend says that while the Seville Cathedral was being built, church elders said: “Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will think we are mad”. It was purposefully built to prove the wealth and importance of Seville, which was quickly becoming an important port in the Spanish kingdom.

So how did Seville become so important? Well, of course, the story of Christopher Columbus is crucial to the economic success of the Spanish kingdom and to Seville itself. I’m talking about trade with the New World.

Portuguese slave traders began to operate in Seville in the 1460s and this trade was quickly taken over by Spanish merchants. It is said that by the 16th century, a good 7 percent of the population of Seville were slaves, a large majority of whom were enslaved Africans from the West Coast of Africa. A tiny percent were also enslaved indigenous people of the Caribbean such as the Taino. The usual place for the sale (or re-sale) of enslaved people in Seville? Why of course, the steps of the Seville Cathedral. What did the Church have to answer to? Was slavery not justified in the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New? Sigh.

This is not the kind of information that is included in tourist brochures, but let us be honest. Just like Amsterdam, Seville and other European cities grew wealthy through the misery of black (and sometimes brown) peoples of the world.