With an area of 11,520 square meters, the Cathedral of Seville is the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world, and the third biggest Catholic temple in general, behind St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and St. Paul's Cathedral in London. In addition, the interior nave of this Cathedral is the longest in Spain, 42 meters high and an area of almost 9,000 square meters.

Although there is no documentation that certifies when it was built, it is believed that Seville Cathedral was started in 1401. It was built on the site of the former Great Mosque of Isbilya, which was badly affected by the earthquake of 1356. Three elements of this old mosque have been preserved: the Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees), the Puerta del Perdón (Gate of Forgiveness) - one of the entrances to the Cathedral of Seville - and the lower two thirds of the Giralda, the old minaret of the mosque.

If you have visited the Cathedral of Seville and its esplanade, you have probably noticed a very particular element: the columns joined by iron chains. Their purpose was to mark the limits of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, which has a different justice from the ordinary one. In this way, those people who wanted to "escape" from ordinary justice and ask for "right of asylum" in church territory, knew where to go. This difference between jurisdictions was maintained until the middle of the 16th century in Seville.

Did you know there's a full-scale crocodile in the Cathedral? The famous "lizard of Seville" is believed to have been a gift from the Sultan of Egypt to King Alfonso X around 1260. At one point, the stuffed animal was placed, but was later replaced by a wooden one. It is placed in one of the corridors around the Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees) next to an animal bit, an elephant's tusk and a control rod. Don't forget to take a look at them during the tour of the Cathedral of Seville!

Yeah, you read that right. Every day the structure of the building expands and contracts in movements of up to three centimetres as a result of changes in temperature. This "breathing" is perfectly normal in structures like the Cathedral of Seville and prevents disasters such as falls and collapses, which are more likely to occur in rigid architectural structures.

Inside the Cathedral of Seville lie the remains of some ancient monarchs such as Fernando III the Saint, Alfonso X the Wise and Pedro I the Cruel. Other iconic figures in Spanish history are also buried here, including the Mausoleum of Christopher Columbus and the tomb of his son, Hernando. All of these tombs are on public display and can be visited during the guided tour of Seville Cathedral.

The Cathedral of Seville was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, along with the Archives of the Indies and the Real Alcázar. The original text of the declaration reads:

"The Cathedral -and the Alcázar- of Seville give exceptional testimony to the civilization of the Almohads and to that of Christian Andalusia which dates from the Reconquest of 1248 to the 16th century. The Giralda, which influenced the construction of numerous towers in pain and America, is a masterpiece of Almohad architecture. The immense cathedral with its five naves is the largest Gothic building in Europe. The elliptical space of the Cabildo, created by Hernán Ruiz, is one of the most beautiful architectural works of the Renaissance".

The Cathedral of Seville is, without a doubt, a must for any traveller who decides to visit the Andalusian capital. Explore it with any of the different options of guided tours with tickets to the Cathedral of Seville.