La Catedral de Sevilla

Legend has it that in 1401 the reconquistadores wanted to demonstrate their religious fervor by constructing a church so great, they said, “those who come after us will take us for madmen.” With 44 individual chapels, the cathedral of Sevilla is the 3rd largest in the world, after St. Peter’s Basilica in Roma and St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Not surprisingly it took more than a century to build. In 1401 a 12th century mosque was destroyed to clear space for the massive cathedral. All that remains is the Patio de los Naranjos, where the faithful washed before prayer, and the famed La Giralda minaret, built in 1198. The tower and its twins in Marrakesh and Rabat are the oldest and longest-surviving Almohad minarets in the world. The 35 ramps inside leading to the tower’s top allowing a disabled muezzin to climb up on his horse for the call to prayer.