Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, Sevilla
There are many wonderful photos of the Cathedral in Seville to be found in books and on the web and yet I still have the temerity to post our personal set of snaps with a particular point of view. It starts by pivoting on my heel 180 degrees from facing Ms Haversham’s abode (previous posting) in order to walk along this face of the Cathedral.
Walking round the outside, first impressions are of an extraordinary mixing of shapes and ornamentations with one amazing piece of work cheek by jowl against another.
Externally it’s v much a wedding cake of a place …
… that has attached itself to a medieval tower, begun in 1184.
La Giralda’s, first two-thirds were a minaret and it is used now as a bell tower.
And inside it is gloriously decorated.
The roof shapes, arches and buttresses are full of detailed work and shaping that we humans can barely see.
From the top of La Giralda you look down into the Cathedral courtyard, full of Seville orange trees, and across many of the roofs of the building complex.
There’s flat roof areas with supporting structures and buttresses.
And areas that echo the shaping of Cardinals’ hats.
And domes of various shapes too.
But up in La Giralda there’s the bells.
Intricate carvings, ironwork and mechanisms all amongst the brickwork. And video cameras everywhere.
Whilst inside the flights of fancy just flow…
… and the light is magnificent, with occasional strange results.
