Cathedral of Santa Maria
                                                               (Google Images)

Cathedral of Santa Maria
Saville, Spain

"The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville (Andalusia, Spain). It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. It is also the largest cathedral in the world, as the two larger churches, theBasilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida and St Peter's Basilica, are not the seats of bishops. It was registered in 1987 byUNESCO as a World Heritage Site,...

"After its completion in the early 16th century, the Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years. The cathedral is also the burial site of Christopher Columbus. The Archbishop's Palace is located on the northeastern side of the cathedral.

Front Facade
(Photo by Judi)

"Seville Cathedral was built to demonstrate the city's wealth, as it had become a major trading center in the years after the Reconquista in 1248. In July 1401 it was decided to build a new cathedral.... ("Let us build a church so beautiful and so grand that those who see it finished will think we are mad").  Construction began in 1402 and continued until 1506.

"Five years after construction ended, in 1511, the dome collapsed and work on the cathedral recommenced. The dome again collapsed in 1888, and work was still being performed on the dome until at least 1903. The 1888 collapse occurred due to an earthquake and resulted in the destruction of "every precious object below" the dome at that time.

"The interior has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain. The central nave rises to a height of 42 meters and is lavishly decorated with a large quantity of gilding. 

"The builders used some columns and other elements from the ancient mosque, including its minaret, which was converted into a bell tower known as La Giralda, now the city's most well-known symbol.

La Giralda Bell Tower (Photo by Judi)

"Seville Cathedral has fifteen doors on its four facades.

"The cathedral has 80 chapels,..." (Link)

"Today we did a tour of Seville. The cathedral Santa Maria is the third largest in the world. Like most churches in this area it was first a mosque. The spires were extended and bells added when it was turned into a cathedral." (Judi)

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Photos: Taken by long time friend Judi Clark while touring Spain with the
                 B. C. Women's Dragon Boat team.
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)