Spain Guide
Andalucía
La Giralda
Address: In the cathedral's northeast corner; entered to the left of the Capilla Real
Opening time: July & Aug Mon– Sat 9.30am–4pm, Sun 2.30–6pm; Sept– June Mon– Sat 11am–5pm, Sun 2.30–6pm
Price: €7.50, under-16s free; ticket valid for Catedral and Giralda
Unquestionably the most beautiful building in Seville, the Giralda, named after the sixteenth-century giraldillo, or weather vane, on its summit, dominates the city skyline. From the entrance you can ascend to the bell chamber for a remarkable view of the city – and, equally remarkable, a glimpse of the Gothic details of the cathedral's buttresses and statuary. But most impressive of all is the tower's inner construction, a series of 35 gently inclined ramps wide enough to allow two mounted guards to pass.
The minaret was the culmination of Almohad architecture, and served as a model for those at the imperial capitals of Rabat and Marrakesh. It was used by the Moors both for calling the faithful to prayer (the traditional function of a minaret) and as an observatory, and was so venerated that they wanted to destroy it before the Christian conquest of the city. This they were prevented from doing by the threat of Alfonso (later King Alfonso X) that "if they removed a single stone, they would all be put to the sword". Instead, it became the belltower of the Christian cathedral.
The Moorish structure took twelve years to build (1184–96) and derives its firm, simple beauty from the shadows formed by blocks of brick trelliswork (a style known as sebka), different on each side, and relieved by a succession of arched niches and windows. The original harmony has been somewhat spoiled by the Renaissance-era addition of balconies and, to a still greater extent, by the four diminishing storeys of the belfry – added, along with the Italian-sculpted bronze figure of "Faith" which surmounts them, in 1560–68, following the demolition by an earthquake of the original copper spheres. Even so, it remains in its perfect synthesis of form and decoration one of the most important and beautiful monuments of the Islamic world.