Study Abroad Visit to La Catedral de Sevilla [VIDEO TOUR]
Sevilla, Spain is probably the prettiest city I have ever seen. It is the perfect mix of old and new, big and small, and the nightlife is amazing!
What fascinates me the most are the centuries-old buildings that are still being used today. The thought that a building has been around for almost a thousand years and that I can walk through it today is just mind blowing. But when you consider a building as beautiful as La Catedral de Sevilla, it is absolutely breathtaking!
La Catedral de Sevilla is a beautiful cathedral and has a deep cultural significance in Sevilla. Watch the video below to take a firsthand tour with me inside La Catedral de Sevilla.
This is the back of La Catedral, when you are standing in the orange garden.
La Catedral de Sevilla was first built in 1184 as a Muslim mosque. However, after the Spanish Reconquista (a religious war between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms in Spain fought between 718 and 1492 AD), the church was transformed into a Catholic cathedral.
La Catedral de Sevilla is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It comes in at third place among the largest churches in the world, right after St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, and Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil.
One of the side chapels in La Catedral de Sevilla.
There are 80 side chapels in La Catedral. When the cathedral was being constructed, nobles in Sevilla had the opportunity to “buy” a side chapel and decorate it how they wanted. This served three purposes:
- The church raised the funds necessary for construction.
- The nobles gained status in the church for their religious dedication.
- The nobles also got to show how wealthy they were. Bragging rights were a big deal even back in the sixteenth century.
The Catedral was built to demonstrate Sevilla’s wealth as a city. In addition to the funds raised from donations, clergy members gave half of their salary to pay for the construction.
Also Read:
Let’s Go to Spain
La Longa in Spain
How to Set a Budget While Studying Abroad
