Rediscover Seville Cathedral through its singularities
5 curiosities of the cathedral
Seville is a city full of genius and ingenuity, where every corner holds fascinating curiosities and secrets. One of its most emblematic treasures is the Cathedral, a majestic building whose immensity takes the breath away from those who contemplate it. Despite its worldwide renown, Seville Cathedral still has much to reveal to its visitors. Declared a World Heritage Site and an Asset of Outstanding Universal Value, this architectural jewel is not only famous for being the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, but also for the countless stories that reside within.
With over 500 years of history, Seville Cathedral has witnessed some of the city’s most important events. From its stunning stained-glass windows to its intricate carvings and sculptures, every detail of the temple tells a part of its rich and extensive history. Today, we will go into five of the most intriguing curiosities that this architectural marvel has to offer, revealing fascinating aspects of a monument that continues to amaze all who visit it.
An elephant tusk and a crocodile...
Neither crocodiles nor tusks are known to be part of the Catholic imagination. However, the Cathedral holds an elephant tusk as well as a stuffed crocodile. This is because, according to legend, the Sultan of Egypt entertained Alfonso X the Wise with the intention of creating a marriage alliance with his daughter. He sent the king a crocodile, an elephant’s tusk and a giraffe as symbols of appreciation and wealth. Thus, although the marriage did not go ahead, the gifts remained in Seville as proof of this attempted marriage. This is the reason why the Cathedral of the capital houses gifts so apparently unrelated to the Faith.
It is a breathing building
As it was discovered in 2006, every day, its vaults expand several centimetres due to temperature changes, recreating a movement very similar to that of breathing. It is worth noting that, although it may sound unsafe, this is an advantage of the building, which makes it safer, as it demonstrates the Cathedral’s range of movement in the face of any disaster.
It has a sister
The well-known Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral. Its height of just over 100 metres made it the tallest tower in Spain for centuries. But this is not its only peculiarity, the monument has a replica in Kansas City, as a sign of the twinning between the cities of Kansas and Seville. It is therefore possible to enjoy a replica of the Giralda in the United States, extending the essence and art of Seville to the new continent.
It does not have a usual structure
Although it is a Gothic cathedral, the Seville cathedral does not have a Latin cross floor plan, as is usual in this type of construction, but rather a square floor plan. This is due to the origin of the building itself, as it was built on the site of the city’s old mosque, which meant that it had to adapt to the existing structure. For this reason, in areas such as the Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Courtyard) or the Puerta del Perdón (Forgiveness Gate), the imprint and memory of the mosque can be seen.
It was a place of refuge
In the vicinity of the Cathedral it is possible to see chains surrounding the enclosure. This is no coincidence, the chains have centuries of history, as they were a way of marking the jurisdictional boundary between the city and the Church. Those who committed not very serious crimes hid in the Cathedral to be protected by the rules of the Church, instead of those of the city.
