The Unique Spirit of Seville - Don't Miss This One

The Tomb of Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus is a name that few are unfamiliar with, but his place of resting is a lesser-known fact. It is the city of Seville that houses his tomb through a cathedral’s southern doors. There is some controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the remains that are found in the tomb; the bones that lie there, which were brought to Spain from the Caribbean in 1899, were subject to question. The higher-ups in the Dominican Republic claimed to hold the real bones in its capital city.

Unfortunately for the Dominican Republic the DNA from the bones in Seville matched that of the great explorer’s brother, so Seville is indeed home to the real bones. Go see them.

image by Arshad Habib

Cathedral

The cathedral itself is the biggest in the entire world – that alone makes it worth seeing. The cathedral’s history is quite impressive too in that before a cathedral stood there it was the site of a 12th century Mosque – Almohad. The remains of the mosques great minaret can still be seen today standing next to the main building of the cathedral. It’s said that the cathedral’s creators stated the following “Let us create such a building that future generations will take us for lunatics.” If you see the scale of the cathedral that stands in Seville today – you’ll see that they’ve achieved their goal.

  

Basílica de La Macarena

The Basilica de la Macarena houses what is considered to be the most impressive example of a Virgin in all of Seville. The golden-crowned statue is a beauty to behold – she is even adorned with five diamond and emerald brooches that were donated by a famous matador of the region. 

 

Bullring

Bullfighting is quite a controversial sport – about that there is no question, however it’s worth taking note that in Spain this is much less the case and when in another country we must respect the culture’s traditions as outsiders. The bullring in Seville is the oldest in all of Spain and is said to hold what can only be compared to a religious significance to its thousands of fans.

The construction of the building itself started in 1758 which cements its age (no pun intended). It’s possible to take guided tours of the bullring in English (or Spanish if you speak it) that discuss the history of the place and describe some of history’s most famous bullfights (image by Laura713).

If you’re of a strong stomach and fancy watching a bullfight for yourself, it’s possible to do so between spring and autumn.

Getting to Seville is a doddle and by far the best way to do so is by plane. It’s often worth driving to the airport, parking the car and then picking it up upon your return – you can learn a bit more about how that works here. Flights leave pretty regularly, but, of course, book in advance to avoid being disappointed – you don’t want to miss out on a trip to one of the most enchanting cities on the planet.

If you’ve been to Seville and happen to have some tips regarding where to go (we know we’ve certainly not covered everything here), then be sure to let us know down in the comments section!

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