Seville sevilla andalucia spain

GIRALDA OF SEVILLE

The Giralda, or the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville, situated n the city of Seville, Spain is known to be one of the largest church in the world. Further, the said tower is also recognized to be a remarkable example of the Gothic as well as the Baroque architectural style. The entire tower measures up to nearly 104.5 m or 343 ft tall, and was celebrated to be one of the most important symbols in the entire medieval city of Seville, so as in the country of Spain.


The tower of Giralda’s two thirds was a former minaret, which was as a matter of fact the climax of Almohad architecture and served as a representation for those at their imperial capitals of Marrakesh and Rabat. The prior minaret was utilized n the Moors in order to call all of the faithful to prayer, which is in fact a traditional purpose of a minaret, and lastly as an observatory, and was then decided that they prefer to rather demolish the said minaret before the conquest of the Christians to the city of Seville. Unfortunately, they were prevented from doing such thing due to the threat of King Alfonso X who therefore states that “If they removed a single stone, they would all be put into the sword.”


The tower’s Renaissance section carries the motto of Seville in a large inscription, “NO8DO” which means “(Seville) has not abandoned me”. Alfonso X of Castile bestowed the said motto to the city of Seville when it continued to support his dominion throughout the course of the rebellion. Unfortunately, the copper sphere which was originally placed at the top of the Giralda tower fell due to an earthquake, during the year 1365, which was, however replaced with a cross and a bell. Situated at the top, covering the tower of Giralda, is the famous “Lily Section”, which surrounds the enclosure with the bell. The statue, which crowns the top of the tower ever since it was installed during the year 1568 stands 4 m or 13 ft tall - 7 m or 23 ft, with the pedestal.


The tower of Giralda is one of the most remarkable monuments located in the city of Seville, which actually overlooks the skyline. Tourists can in fact climb towards the bell chamber for a stunning view of the city, and a brief look of the Gothic details of the buttresses and statuary of the cathedral., which is just as equally stunning. The most fascinating of all of Giralda’s spectacular views are the series of 35 gradually sloping ramps which are wide enough to enable the passing of two mounted guards.


Since the tower’s construction, it was often utilized for numerous causes, which includes: “Element Religious Calling” - the tower is being used as a warning or for religious calling mainly ever since it was initially built. First, it was for the Moors, whenever the muezzin calling the faithful Muslims for prayer a couple of times a day and then for the Christians, with the use of a bell. The next purpose is for “Housing” - the cameras located inside played a significant role as housing for the warden of the tower and the bell. As a “Barn” - As specified in some minutes of the cathedral chapter of October 29, 1567, which granted the grain stocked located inside the tower. The fourth use of the Giralda tower is for none other than, “Prayers”. The top of the tower was being used before throughout the year 1626 as a station in order to pray for the cessation of the rains which lasted for forty days. It also served as a “Veleta”. Ever since the year 1356, upon dropping the ornaments which apparently existed merely due to an earthquake, it was then replaced with a tower topped by a weathervane. It also served as a “Clock”. It was installed during the year 1400, but was no longer used. The clock is still being kept inside the tower. “Atalaya” or Watchtower - Sometimes, the tower is being utilized as a vantage lookout which is can be very helpful for the defense and protection of the city of Seville. Lightning Rod - The initial lightning rods were first placed during the year 1884, during which an electric spark destroyed the window stills. Last but not the least is that it served as a “Fixture” - The tower also served as the city of Seville’s lighting during celebrations of certain events both religious which are pope elections, canonization of a saint or the entry of a new archbishop in a city. The tower is also being lighted during celebrations such as royalty weddings, birth of a prince, and in some cases have attained a military victory.


The tower of Giralda has in fact a couple of sister towers, and the same architect who constructed the said tower, named Jabir, also built similar towers in what is now known as “Morroco”. Koutoubia Mosque, which is located in Makkaresh acted as a representation of the tower of Giralda and its sister, the Hassan Tower, situated in Rabat. A number of church towers located in the city of Seville also bear a resemblance towards the said tower, and may have been in fact inspired by the designed of the Giralda. These towers, specifically those which are located in the towns of Lebrija and Carmona are famously known as the “Giraldillas”.


A number of relicas of the Giralda have also been constructed within the United States of America. One of them, which is now unfortunately destroyed, located in the second Madison Square Garden in New York, designed by Stanford White and the other one is located in Kansas City. The clock tower of the Ferry Building, situated in San Francisco, has its design also based in the design of Giralda. The clock tower which can be found at the University of Puerto Rico’s “Rio Piedras” campus, was also inspired by the tower of Giralda, as well as the clock tower at the Railroad Depot in Minneapolis, which was sadly destroyed by the wind during the year 1941.


The tower of Giralda also played a vital role in modern and popular literature, during the year 1998, from the Dan Brown novel “Digital Fortress”.