La Giralda - Seville - Andalucia - Spain
by Tony Crehan
Title
La Giralda - Seville - Andalucia - Spain
Artist
Tony Crehan
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Giralda (named for the giraldillo or weather vane on its summit) was the minaret of the mosque that was replaced by Seville Cathedral.
Built in 1184-96, the tower was the culmination of Almohad architecture. It is considered the finest of the three great Almohad minarets: the other two are in the Moroccan cities of Rabat and Marrakesh.
Topped with four copper spheres that could be seen for miles around, the Moorish tower was used both to call the faithful to prayer and as an observatory over the city.
La Giralda was so venerated by the Moors that they wanted to destroy it before the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This was prevented by King Alfonso X, who declared that "if they removed a single stone, they would all be put to the sword." The Giralda thus preserved, it became the bell tower of the Christian cathedral (begun 1402).
Several additions were made to the Giralda in the Renaissance era, after an earthquake (1356) destroyed the original copper spheres that topped the tower. Four more levels were added at the top for the belfry (1560-68), which was topped by an Italian bronze sculpture of "Faith." Balconies were also added.
The Cathedral, together with the Alcázar palace and the Indias Archive of Seville, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Uploaded
April 12th, 2017
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Mary Ann Weger
Congratulations! Your beautiful work has been featured in the Fine Art America group “Balconies Windows and Doors”! You are invited to archive your featured image for permanent storage and for viewing on the Discussions Page—topic name: “2-OPEN - Featured Images from this Group For Permanent Archiving” Simply copy the URL at the top of your image’s profile page, and paste it into the Discussion Page theme as noted above. Group URL: http://fineartamerica.com/groups/balconies-windows-and-doors.html
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