History

=Built on the site of the Almohad mosque, the Cathedral of Seville (Catedral de Sevilla) was created after the reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula as an expression of the city's power and wealth. It is the third largest Cathedral in the world in inside area, the largest in the world in total area, and the biggest Gothic building in all of Europe. The two churches that dominate it in inside space are St.Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Aparecida, Brazil. In the planning stages, a member of the chapter is said to have commented "we shgall have a churh of such size that those who see it built will think were mad." Inspired by this goal, Seville renounced all but a small level of their incomes to fund the construction of the cathedral. It was completed in just over a century (1402-1506) which was quite an achievement considering its enormous size and Gothic details. The only structures of the Cathedral that are left from the original mosque are the Giralda Tower and the Patio of the Oranges. The Giralda Tower is used as the bell tower, and the patio is not used as a bathing place before prayers any more.= =Giralda Tower= = = =Patio of the Oranges=