Seville Cathedral/Mosque and Giralda

On Friday we visited the enormous cathedral/mosque of Seville. It was beautiful, cold and imposing. I don't know if even the heat of a Seville summer could warm it's stone and marble. But just being in a place that has been built and decorated by such skilled and devoted craftsmen and artists does fill one with awe. The amount of gold squandered on it is less impressive.
Again, my favourite part was the Giralda, the slender, beautiful bell tower. The upper section is a Renaissance bell tower, built from the mid to end of the 16th century. Beneath this is the simple beauty of the original Almohad minaret, built in the late 12th century. Topping it all is a bronze statue of Faith the functions as a giraldo or weather vane.
After the tour, we picked u food for the road and drove home to Almuñécar.




The Giralda of Seville


The tomb of Christopher Columbus in the Cathedral


A view from a lookout partway up the Giraldo


A view of the Cathedral and part of Seville from near the top of the Giralda


The genuine Almohad bronze door knockers. Between them are the two most valuable articles in the tower, two very early lamps which were excavated quite recently.