DK Travel : Andalucía and Costa del Sol : Architecture

Andalucía and Costa del Sol : Architecture

Seville Cathedral & La Giralda

Legend has it that when the sevillanos decided to build their cathedral in the 15th century, they proclaimed their intention to erect an edifice so huge that later generations would call them mad. They achieved their aim with the largest church (by volume, not floorplan) in Christendom.
Torre del Oro & Torre de Plata

Tradition states that the imposing 13th-century Moorish dodecahedral (12-sided) watchtower, the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold), is named after the golden tiles that once adorned it. Others say its name derives from its use as a warehouse for the gold coming in from the New World during Seville’s heyday. It now houses a small maritime museum. Nearby stands the Torre de Plata (Tower of Silver), a more modest octagonal tower, which most likely gets its name as a complement to its neighbour. Both towers originally formed part of the city’s defences.