Seville - The cathedral and around Travel Guides | Seville | Sub Regions | Seville - The cathedral and around

The vast Gothic cathedral and the sumptuous Mudéjar Alcázar, Seville’s bases of ecclesiastical and royal power, face each other across the sunbeaten Plaza del Triunfo, once just inside the city’s major gateway. The cathedral has more artistic masterpieces than many major galleries as well as the emblematic Giralda tower, a fantasy in ornate brickwork, while the Alcázar, the seat of generations of Moorish and Castillian kings, has breathtakingly beautiful patios, portals and inlaid ceilings to rival Granada’s Alhambra, as well as acres of lush gardens. Between the two buildings is the comparatively understated Archivo de las Indias, currently closed but repository of tens of millions of pages of documents relating to Spain’s imperial past. In the squares, pretty horse carriages sit under the orange trees ready to trot visitors around the sights of the town.

Sights

Plaza del Triunfo s/n, T 954 214 971. Mon-Sat 1100-1800 (last entry at 1700); Sun 1430-1900 (last entry at 1800). E 6/1.50 students/free Sun. The audio guide at E 3 isn’t particularly informative; you’re better off sticking to the display panels or buying a cathedral guide at the shop here. Bus 40.

The fall of Seville to the Christians in 1248 was an event of massive resonance. While Granada's capitulation in 1492 marked the final victory, it was something of a foregone conclusion – the fall of Seville really represented the breaking of the backbone of Muslim Spain. After a while, at the beginning of the 15th century, the Castillians decided to hammer home the point and erect a cathedral over the mosque (which they had been using as a church, on a scale that would leave no doubts that future generations would "think the architects mad". Santa María de la Sede is the result: a Gothic edifice of staggering proportions and crammed so full of artistic treasures that most of its chapels and altars could have been tourist attractions in their own right; there are nearly fifty of them.

Several Moorish elements were happily left standing; the city's symbol, the superb Giralda tower, is the most obvious of these. Originally the minaret of the mosque, it was built by the Almohads in the late-12th century and was one of the tallest buildings in the world in its day. Although rebuilt by the Christians after its destruction in an earthquake in 1356, its superb exterior brick decoration is true to the original, although the weathervane atop the structure (El Giraldillo) is not.

Approaching the cathedral for the first time, try and start from Plaza de San Francisco. Taking Calle Hernando Colón, another Moorish feature will soon become apparent – the Puerta de Perdón gateway with fine stucco decoration and a dogtoothed horseshoe arch. Turning left and walking around the whole structure will let you appreciate the Giralda and the many fine 15th-century Gothic doorways. You enter via the Puerta San Cristobal, next to the Archivo de las Indias. The first chamber is a small museum with several excellent pieces: a San Fernando by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and a Francisco Zurbarán depicting the Baptist in the desert; among others.

Around the chapels Once into the cathedral proper, after catching your breath at the dimensions and the pillars like trunks of an ancient stone forest, turn hard left and do a circuit of the chapels. Don't forget to look up once in a while to appreciate the lofty Gothic grandeur and the excellent stained glass, much of it by Heinrich of Germany (15th century) and Arnao of Flanders (16th century). At the western end of the church, Murillo's Guardian Angel stands to the left of the middle door, leading the Christ child by the hand. In the corner stands the much-darned 13th-century standard of Fernando III, which he flew from the Giralda when he conquered the city. Turning onto the north side, see if you can barge through the tour groups into the chapel of San Antonio, with a huge and much-admired Murillo of that saint's vision of a cloud of cherubs and angels. Above it is a smaller Baptism by the same artist. A Renaissance baptismal font here is still in use, while a 15th-century frieze of saints adorns the reja (screen). These rejas are works of art in their own right – some of them take wrought iron to extraordinary delicacy.

Arriving in the northeast corner, climb the Giralda. You reach the top via 35 ramps. These were designed to allow a horse to make it up. The tower is 94 m high and the view from the top is excellent. There's a host of bells up here; the oldest date from the 14th century. Coming down, the next chapel is that of St Peter and contains a retablo (altarpiece) with nine good Zurbaráns devoted to the life of the first pope, depicted here with a salt 'n' pepper beard. The superb Royal Chapel is often curtained off for services. The cuissons of its domed ceiling contain busts of kings and queens of Castilla. In a funerary urn are the remains of the beatified conqueror-king Fernando III, while his wife Beatrice of Swabia (the inspiration behind the Burgos cathedral) and their son Alfonso X (the Wise) are also buried here.

In the southeast corner, the treasury is entered through the Mariscal Chapel which has a stunning altarpiece centred on the Purification of Mary and painted by Pedro de Campaña, a Flemish artist of exalted talent. The treasury contains a display of monstrances (one of which holds a spine from the Crown of Thorns), salvers and processional crowns. A fine antechamber and courtyard adjoin the Chapterhouse with vault paintings by Murillo. The massive vestry is almost a church in its own right with an ornate Plateresque entrance and three altars featuring fine paintings; a superb Descent from the Cross by Pedro de Campaña, a Santa Teresa by Zurbarán and a San Laurencio by Jordán. Two Murillos face each other across the room, they depict two of the city's earliest archbishops from the Visigothic period, San Isidoro and San Leandro. A huge silver monstrance is also present here, as are a number of treasures, including two fragments of the True Cross embedded in golden crucifixes, and the keys of the city said to have been handed over to the conquering Fernando; they are intricately engraved with Arabic and Hebrew lettering. After the chapel of St Andrew, the Chapel of Sorrows leads to the chalice vestry with its Goya painting of the city's patron saints Justa and Rufina flanking the Giralda. Christopher Columbus' tomb stands proud in the centre of the southern central doorway, borne aloft by four figures representing the kingdoms of Castilla, León, Aragón and Navarra. It's in late-19th century Romantic style and some remains were deposited there in 1902, but nobody knows for sure whose they are – Seville is one of four cities that claims to have the explorer's tomb. Columbus spent time praying in the next chapel which features an excellent 14th-century fresco of the Virgin, in the place where the mosque's mihrab once stood. The later retablo was built around the painting.

The Centre The cathedral's principal devotional spaces are in the centre of the massive five-naved structure – the choir and the chancel. The choir itself is closed off by a superb gilt Plateresque reja depicting the Tree of Jesse, while the ornate stalls feature misericords with charismatic depictions of demons and the vices. The main retablo is a marvel of Christian art and has been the subject of several books in its own right. Measuring a gigantic 18 m by 28 m, it was masterminded by the Flemish artist Pieter Dancart, who began it in 1481 and several other notable painters and sculptors worked on it until its completion in 1526. It is surmounted by a gilt canopy, atop which is a Calvary scene and figures of the Apostles. The central panels depict the Ascension, Resurrection, Assumption, and Nativity, while the other panels depict scenes from the life of Jesus and parts of the Old Testament. The reja makes it difficult to fully appreciate the paintings, but the sheer impact of the ensemble is unforgettable.

You exit the church under the curious wooden crocodile known as El Lagarto (the lizard), probably a replica of a gift from an Egyptian ruler wooing a Spanish infanta. The pretty Patio de los Naranjos is another Moorish original, formerly the ablutions courtyard of the mosque. It's shaded with the orange trees that give it its name. Admire the lofty Puerta de la Concepción (20th century, but faithful to the cathedral's style) before you exit through the Puerta del Perdón.

Plaza del Triunfo s/n, T 954 502 323, http://www.patronato-alcazar sevilla.es Tue-Sat 0930-1900, Sun 0930-1700, last entry 1 hr earlier. E 5, students free. A series of elaborately furnished chambers are visited on the E 3 guided tour, which leaves roughly half-hourly. Prebooking is advisable, T 954 560 040. The informative audio tour (Spanish, French, English, German, Italian) is well-presented and makes good use of quotes from the various kings responsible for the building’s construction. Bus 40, C3, C4.

From the entry to the Alcázar through the dramatic Puerta del León onwards, it’s a pretty special place. While it’s called the Alcázar, and you’ll see horseshoe arches, stucco, calligraphy, and coffered ceilings throughout, it’s not a Moorish palace. It used to be, but little remains from that period; it owes its Moorish look to the Castillian kings who built it, Alfonso X and his son Pedro I. As well as being a sumptuous palace, the Alcázar was once a considerable fortress in this impressively fortified city, a fact easily appreciable as you pass through the chunky walls through the red Puerta del León, named for the tiled king of beasts guarding it.

You emerge onto a large courtyard where the king’s Hunt once assembled. It’s dominated by the impressive façade of the main palace of the Castillian kings, built over the remains of two previous Moorish palaces. Before heading into this, investigate the Patio del Yeso to the left, one of the few remaining Moorish structures, where lobed arches face horseshoe ones across a pool surrounded by myrtle hedges. It’s viewed from the Hall of Justice, with stucco work and an octagonal coffered ceiling. Opposite, across the courtyard, are chambers built by Fernando and Isabel to control New World affairs. Magellan planned his trip here and there’s an important retablo from this period of the Virgen de los Navegantes. In the main panel by Alejo Fernández, the Virgin spreads her protective mantle over Columbus, Carlos V, as well as a shadowy group of indigenous figures. They might see trouble coming if they could glimpse the side panel of Santiago, Spain’s patron, who is gleefully decapitating Moors.

From this main courtyard, if you arrive early, it is possible to see some of the upper floor of the palace, still used when Spanish royals are in town.

The façade of the palace is a curious mixture of Christian and Moorish styles that just about achieves superb harmony. Inscriptions about the glory of Allah – Pedro I was a pretty enlightened man – adjoin more conventional Latin ones proclaiming royal greatness.

This fusion of styles is repeated throughout the whole of this part of the palace, centred around the stunning Patio de las Doncellas, surprisingly reached by ducking down a small corridor. Throughout the complex are azulejos, topped by friezes of ceramic decoration, while higher up, intricate stucco friezes are surmounted by a range of marvellous inlaid ceilings. Applied colour is evident throughout, particularly on the inspired Puerta de los Pavones, named for the peacocks visible on it. The central patio had its upper gallery added by Carlos V, who also paved over Pedro I’s Moorish garden. Part of this has recently been excavated, and debate over what to do with it is ongoing. Also worth admiring are the imposing doors, some incredibly elaborately inlaid. Among the rooms off this courtyard are the Salón de Embajadores, with a beautiful half-orange ceiling and a frieze of Spanish kings; and the chapel, where Charles V married his first cousin Isabella of Portugal (one of many inbreedings that doomed the line). To commemorate the event, he put in a wooden ceiling where elaborate mouldings are interspersed with busts.

Moving on from here is the Renaissance palace, heavily altered from the original Gothic by Carlos V and his descendants. In the chapel is an interesting Velásquez portraying a beautiful Virgin placing a chasuble over the shoulders of San Ildefonso. The two main chambers beyond here are decorated with tapestries.

From here stretches the vast and fantastic garden (top tip is to take a picnic, though don’t make it super obvious at the entrance); different sections filled with slurping carp, palm trees, and a grotesque gallery built into a section of the old walls. It’s TARDIS-like; difficult to envisage how such a large garden exists in the city centre. You finally exit the complex through the vestibule where the coaches and horses used to roll in and you emerge in the pretty Patio de Banderas.

Bus no 40, C3, C4.

Filled with wooden seating in Semana Santa, as sevillanos watch the brotherhoods exit the cathedral, this little square is normally full of tourists craning their necks at the Giralda and horse carriages touting for a trot around the city. From here, Calle Mateos Gago rises, laden with tapas bars, into the Barrio Santa Cruz. A building that would turn heads anywhere except where it stands, under the shadow of the Giralda, the Palacio Arzobispal is an early 18th-century baroque masterpiece, unfortunately not open to the public (appointments are nominally on T 954 227 163, but you’d need a serious reason to get in). The red façade is gravely interspersed with white pilasters, while small iron awnings protect the upper windows from the fierce summer sun. The elaborate portal has ornate vegetal motifs and several escutcheons and is unusually topped by two vases of bronze flowers. The doors themselves are high and studded, with leonine knockers. Inside, you can see the main courtyard (beyond the smart archiepiscopal cars) with a pretty fountain and orange trees. This courtyard was once prowled by a lion cub, given to an archbishop by a solicitous duke; it was thought that burying feet afflicted by gout in the soft fur alleviated the condition. The cub was de-toothed and clawed but still managed to savage the horses of several of the prelate’s visitors.

The adjacent square, Plaza del Triunfo, is up against the imposing walls of the Alcázar. It is centred around a monument dedicated to the Immaculate Virgin. The question as to whether Mary was conceived free of original sin was a subject for impassioned debate and even riots in the 17th century; the four famous sevillanos depicted here were all staunch advocates of her Immaculate-ness, and their view was eventually upheld by the Vatican. From Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, go up the tiny alley behind the phone boxes opposite the archbishop’s palace. You’ll come to a tiny, tranquil cobbled square with a marble crucifix, pretty houses, and orange trees.

Plaza del Triunfo s/n, T 954 211 234. Due to open in mid-2004. Bus 40, C3, C4.

“An immense icebox of granite guarded by lions, in which is housed the colonial past, every sigh and every comma, until the end of the world.” C. Nooteboom, Roads to Santiago

This square and sober Renaissance building offsets the cathedral and Alcázar on either side and was once Seville’s Lonja, where merchants met to broker trade with the New World. The cannon poking out from the roof echo the decks of Spain’s ocean-going vessels. In the late 18th century it was converted into the state archive, where all documents relating to the Americas were stored and filed. It’s a unique and fascinating record of the discovery and administration of empire; from the excited scribblings of Columbus to the most mundane bookkeeping of remote jungle outposts. There are fascinating displays for the public, but the building is currently undergoing major renovation.

Bus 40, C3, C4.

Once the city’s major entrance point, busy Avenida de la Constitución flanks the cathedral’s western façade. A small, Moorish tower is well-preserved at the corner of Calle Santo Tómas with blind lobed arches; there are many other interesting buildings, including the fabulous neo-Moorish confection of the Filella Confitería, which also does some excellent almond biscuits. From Av de la Constitución, wander down a passage opposite the cathedral’s western façade and you’ll find yourself in a lovely semicircular space with a colonnade and peaceful fountain; the Plaza del Cabildo. It’s lined with stamp and coin shops – you can also buy convent pastries here.

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