Seville Cathedral

Seville Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See
Catedral de Santa María de la Sede
View of the southeastern side of the Cathedral
LocationSeville
CountrySpain
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
Websitewww.catedraldesevilla.es
History
StatusCathedral
Consecrated1507
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic, Moorish, and Renaissance
Groundbreaking1402
Completed1519
Specifications
Length135 m (443 ft)
Width100 m (330 ft)
Nave width15 m (49 ft)
Height36 m (118 ft)
Number of spires1
Spire height105 m (344 ft)
Administration
ArchdioceseSeville
Clergy
ArchbishopJosé Ángel Saiz Meneses
Official nameCathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, iii, vi
Designated1987 (11th session), modified 2010
Reference no.383bis-001
RegionEurope and North America
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Official nameCatedral de Santa María de la Sede de Sevilla
TypeReal property
CriteriaMonument
Designated29 December 1928
Reference no.(R.I.) - 51 - 0000329 - 00000

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), better known as Seville Cathedral (Catedral de Sevilla), is a Catholic cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain.[1] It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies.[2] It is one of the largest churches in the world and the largest Gothic cathedral.[3][4][5]

After its completion in the early 16th century, Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for a thousand years.[6] The Gothic section alone has a length of 126 m (413 ft), a width of 76 m (249 ft), and a central nave height of 36 m (118 ft) (40 m (130 ft) at the crossing). The total height of the Giralda tower from the ground to the weather vane is 104.5 m (342 ft 10 in). The Archbishop's Palace is located on the northeastern side of the cathedral.

Seville Cathedral was the site of the baptism of Infante Juan of Aragon in 1478, only son of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Its royal chapel holds the remains of the city's conqueror, Ferdinand III of Castile, his son and heir, Alfonso the Wise, and their descendant, King Peter the Cruel. The funerary monuments for cardinals Juan de Cervantes and Pedro González de Mendoza are located among its chapels. Christopher Columbus and his son Diego are also buried in the cathedral.[7]

  1. ^ "Seville Cathedral". spain.info. Spanish Tourism Board. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  2. ^ "The other Europe: Cinque Terre, Bruges, Rothenburg, Edinburgh, Seville". Dallas Morning News. 31 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  3. ^ "Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2 July 2025. The largest Gothic building in Europe, it houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
  4. ^ "Seville Cathedral Interiors". Seville Cathedral Tickets. Retrieved 2 July 2025. Located in Seville, Spain, Seville Cathedral is a UNESCO Designated Site and the largest cathedral and Gothic church in the world.
  5. ^ Colin Lawson; Robin Stowell, eds. (16 February 2012). The Cambridge History of Musical Performance. Cambridge University Press. p. 590. ISBN 978-1-316-18442-4.
  6. ^ Melton 2010, p. 1301.
  7. ^ "Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville". UNESCO. Retrieved 1 June 2009.