The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See stands directly in the heart of Seville, Spain. Completed in 1506, the Cathedral superseded the Hagia Sophia as the world’s largest Cathedral. Built on the remains of a mosque the cathedral is a Frankenstein of gothic and Arabic architecture, a common motif in the southern parts of the peninsula. This combination of cultures offers some of the most interesting architecture I have had the pleasure of witnessing. I hope that anyone who has the chance to visit Spain takes some time to go see this building.

During my stay in Seville, I passed by the large steps of the cathedral every day on my walk to the markets. On the last day of my stay in the city, I decided on a whim to take a tour of the cathedral. After waiting in the summer heat for what seemed like hours I was admitted into the cathedral along with the hundreds of other guests. Through a side entrance, you are immediately welcomed into the nave of the cathedral which spans an incredible distance in both width and length. Chambers throughout the nave run to the tops of the vaulted ceilings which were awash in colorful light from the painted windows that are built just below. Each chamber held a vigil of some sort, usually made of gold and always behind a dark set of iron bars. These chambers run the entire length of the nave until reaching the central cross, in which many guests stood admiring the many intricacies of the cathedral. Beyond the cross and opposite of the nave were the choir and apse. Many prayed here, taking their seats on the wooden benches that lined the choir. The apse was a dais with a set of carpeted stairs leading to a wall of pure gold. Inside the wall, sculptures played out stories from the bible, each of them looking to have been masterfully sculpted from porcelain.
The other two ends of the cross led to separate parts of the cathedral, one leading to a museum of artifacts, the other to an outside courtyard. The outside courtyard allows one to get an idea of how large the cathedral truly is while also allowing you to gaze at the amazing detail work on the outer walls. After walking around the grounds for some time I took some time to admire the facade of the cathedral. The facade was made of the same white stone the rest of the building was made from, with small statuettes of saints guarding the door which had rusted into a wonderful type of green.

Overall, I would say that the Cathedral of Saint Mary was one of the most positive memories I have of my time in Spain. It was a building I was truly in awe of, one that I wondered if it could have really been made by people. While I am not religious I was still inspired by the dedication to one’s faith through the medium of architecture. It truly is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen to this day.