Sevilla (Seville)

Rooftop view of Seville Cathedral's Gothic pinnacles and flying buttresses from the Giralda tower

Looking down on the cathedral’s Gothic roofline from the Giralda — a forest of pinnacles and flying buttresses atop the largest Gothic church in the world.

Monumental fountain and grand facade framed by red and yellow canna lilies in Seville

Canna lilies blaze in front of a monumental fountain and a stately old facade at the edge of the historic center.

The Giralda bell tower seen down a Seville street framed by an ornate street lamp and tree

The Giralda peeks down a side street, framed by a wrought-iron lamp and a plane tree — the old minaret is visible from all over the quarter.

Ornate Gothic entrance portal of Seville Cathedral with tourists gathered outside

The great Gothic doorway of Seville Cathedral, its carved tympanum towering over the crowd at the entrance.

Soaring stone columns and Gothic vaulted ceiling inside Seville Cathedral with the organ

Inside, massive clustered columns soar into the vaulting, the great organ glinting between them.

View from the Giralda over the Courtyard of the Orange Trees and Seville rooftops

From the Giralda, the Patio de los Naranjos spreads out below — the orange-tree courtyard left from the mosque that once stood here.

Looking straight down through the Giralda's stone balusters to a plaza fountain and lamppost

A dizzying look straight down through the Giralda’s stone balusters to the plaza and its famous lamp-fountain far below.

Panorama of Seville rooftops from the Giralda with a tiled church dome in the foreground

Seville rolls to the horizon from the top of the Giralda, a tiled church dome in the foreground and the Torre Sevilla far beyond.

Tomb of Christopher Columbus carried by four heralds inside Seville Cathedral

The tomb of Christopher Columbus, his casket borne aloft by four heralds for the old kingdoms of Spain — Castile, León, Aragón and Navarre.

 

Ruth seated on a fountain edge beside Seville Cathedral's south facade and baroque lamppost

Ruth rests at a fountain beneath the cathedral’s south flank, the great Gothic bulk rising behind her.

The silver Altar de Plata and monstrance inside Seville Cathedral

The dazzling Altar de Plata — the cathedral’s silver altar and monstrance, blazing beneath the vaulting.

The Giralda bell tower rising above palm trees and rooftops in Seville

The Giralda rises over the palms and rooftops of the cathedral quarter, its bronze weathervane catching the light.

The Torre del Oro tower beside the Guadalquivir River with tour boats moored in Seville

The Torre del Oro has guarded the Guadalquivir since the 1200s — tour boats now moor where Spain’s treasure fleets once landed.

Row of Gothic pinnacles along the roofline of Seville Cathedral in golden light

Golden evening light on the cathedral’s crest, a bristling line of Gothic finials against the sky.

The Giralda bell tower up close showing its Moorish brickwork and Renaissance belfry

The Giralda up close — a 12th-century Almohad minaret at the base, crowned with a Renaissance belfry four hundred years later.

Ornate baroque facade of the Palacio de San Telmo in Seville

The baroque facade of the Palacio de San Telmo, once a college for navigators and now the seat of Andalusia’s government.

Seville Cathedral's Gothic spires and crossing dome rising above palm trees

The cathedral’s pinnacles and crossing dome soar over the palms — Gothic ambition built to leave onlookers speechless.