Filed under: Great Stuff
The cathedral in Seville is the largest medieval Gothic building in the world and the view from the belltower, once a minaret, brings to life the differences between the Spain of Al-Andalus and the Spain of the Inquisition.
The courtyard, the Patio de los Naranjos was once where Muslims cleansed themselves before entering the Mosque when it was built in the 12th century. Central fountains feed an ingenious reticulation system. It is a celebration of symmetry, balance and harmony, light and order. The cathedral which now covers the site is decorated in gargoyles and inside is very dark and full of glorified images of misery and pain.
I was very glad indeed to get out in the the winter sun and see it from this distance and get this perspective- the place chilled my bones.
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Stunning indeed. Trying to get to Seville very, very soon.. Great pic BTW 😉
Comment by Ryan Karpeles November 24, 2007 @ 6:55 amBeautiful. Are you checking messages in all your gallivanting by any chance?…
Comment by Emily November 27, 2007 @ 11:16 pmI used to live just over the border in the Algarve, (“Al-Gharb”, or “The West” in arabic if I’m not wrong)and we used to go to Seville a bit. What a fantastic city. Make sure to go and see some Flamenco too, if you haven’t already. (Yes, a bit touristy, but still fantastic.)
Comment by David Koopmans November 28, 2007 @ 8:01 pm