Giralda

The Giralda is a former minaret of the main mosque of Seville (Andalusia ), which after the Christian reconquest ( ' Reconquista ') of the city in 1248 was initially continue to be used as a church 'Santa Maria la Mayor ' before they demolished in the 15th century and as late Gothic cathedral was built. However, the brick entirely of brick former minaret stood, was fashioned in parts, and serves as the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville. The Giralda is still the most important landmarks of the city.

Architectural History

After the capture of the city by the Almohads in 1147 began a building boom in Seville, witness to the today the remains of the city walls, the Giralda and the Torre del Oro testimony. The minaret of the Great Mosque was built by Abu Yakub Yusuf, Ahmed ibn Ali al -Basso and - Gomara of bricks with a height of 82 m in 1196. Here, a Roman base and column capitals from a palace was reused as spolia.

A 32 m high tower in openwork in Renaissance style by architect Hernán Ruiz was completed in 1568; He has replaced the original lantern tower, along with the above four towering gilded balls. The new tower with belfry was executed in brick and partially covered or encrusted with white and black marble.

Architecture

The all built in the second half of the 12th century large minarets of the Almohads ( Great Mosque of Taza, Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, Hassan Tower in Rabat - all in Morocco) actually consist of two towers - an inner with a plurality of superposed small spaces and a final essay ( lantern) and an outer, which forms the decorative facade. In between there is a 2.50 m wide ramp that leads to be present on about 70 m height gallery. It was built a ramp and no stairs, because during the construction, the building materials ( bricks, mortar, wood, water, etc.) was done with the help of horses and mules to the top. In addition, there is the - not occupied by sources - view that the muezzin on a horse rode up to call the faithful to prayer or to announce important messages.

Predecessors

The most important architectural forerunner of all the Almohad minarets was undoubtedly the - collapsed after previous damage and repairs in the 14th century - ancient Pharos of Alexandria. For the - in the Almohad architecture otherwise unknown - three-lane façade of the Giralda was likely the minaret of Beni Hammad Qal'a the (Algeria) to significantly influence.

Architectural ornaments

The central portion on all four sides of identical design minarets is pierced by a plurality of window openings expose the inner ramps and spaces; the marble balustrades were added in the 16th century. The upper twin window ( ajimez ) are captured by multi -lobed arches and rectangular enclosures ( alfiz ) framed. The side panels each include a - potentially infinite - diamond ornament, which is located above small little columns of on - designed intersecting arches - potentially endless. The top section of the tower shaft is - unlike the Koutoubia minaret with its tile mosaic - a frieze with blind arcades.

Importance

Apart from the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh are the Giralda is one of the monumental testimonies Almohad architecture. The tower towered far and for a long time all the steeples of Spain and all the minarets of Andalusia and thus shows - highly visible - the (large ) claim to power of the Almohads in their heyday.

In 1987, which consists of the Giralda and from the nearby cathedral Maria de la Sede ensemble of the UNESCO declared World Heritage Site.

The Wrigley Building in Chicago was partially modeled after the Giralda.

Giraldillo

On the top of the tower is about a 3.5-meter high bronze statue that comes to a weight of 1,300 kg, including its 4 -meter-high pedestal. It was created 1566-1568 by the artist Bartolomé Morel after a model by Juan Bautista Vázquez. In 1997, the original was temporarily replaced by a somewhat lighter copy for the purpose of restoration. This copy is now in front of Puerta del Príncipe Cathedral.

The statue, which is referred to as Giraldillo, it is a female figure in a tunic, holding a palm branch in one hand, in the other hand a flag pole with cross - completion, where a war ensign. It is believed that the design was inspired by statues of the goddesses Pallas Athena or Minerva. It is understood as the incarnation of the triumphant Christian faith (St. Fides, Spanish Santa Fe ) after the reconquest of Andalusia ( Reconquista ) and the expulsion of the Moors.

The name derives from Giraldillo girar from the Spanish word (turn, revolve ), since the statue with weather vane to rotate with the wind. Hence also the name Giralda derives as a term for the overall tower.

Bells

In the Giralda In total there are 27 bells.

Bell -level

On the bell level, below the lantern tower (so-called " sala de Campanas " ), hang 24 harmonically tuned bells. They are distributed on the inner and handled on the wall niches.

Six of the largest bells hang in the internal handling. Among them are the two great historic bells " Santa Maria La mayor " and " San Miguel " from the years 1588 and 1792, which hang centrally in the eastern and western approaches, and four other bells from the years 1438, 1500, 1599 and 1764, hanging in the handling corners. It is in fact is the impact bells: you do not swing, but depend in each case on a fixed yoke, and only the clapper is moved in order to strike.

The other bells are rollover bells hanging on curved yokes in the wall openings. In the openings of the north and south sides there are five bells, in the openings of the east and west side four bells, the average niche is always free, and the view of the large bells hanging in handling permit. Among the bells in the wall openings are 7 bells from the 20th century, including five bells, which were cast in 1992. The other bells date from the 18th and 19th centuries. As is usual in Spain, these bells are rung not swinging, but about beating ( de volteo ).

Belfry

Belfry

Lantern

In the lantern tower, just below the Giraldillo depends a great clock bell for the hour strike, which was made ​​around 1400 by a bell-founder named Domínguez. It weighs 1439 kg, and has a diameter of 1.56 m.

A special feature is the large wooden ratchet (Spanish matraca, in Seville also carracaña called ), which is also housed in the lantern, and how the bells can be operated by motor. She has a liturgical function during the Holy Week.

Other

In the tower room two bells are issued. One is the altar bell Cristóbal Cabrera from 1509. It has a diameter of 35 cm and weighs 25 kg. The other is the former bell Santa Lucía by Antonio Márquez from the year 1914. Which has a diameter of 78 cm and weighs 275 kg.

Views

Significantly: minaret

Giraldillo

View from the Giralda

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