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In sheer cubic vastness, Seville Cathedral is the largest Christian church in the world, and there’s a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records on display here to prove it. It measures 126 m (415 ft) by 83 m (270 ft) and the nave rises to 43 m (140 ft). The best place to take it all in is from La Giralda.

The “Gate of Pardon” is set in a crenellated wall and is the main entrance to the only surviving section of the mosque. The arch and bronze-covered doors are a masterpiece of Almohad art, carved with 880 Koranic inscriptions. There are also sculpted Renaissance elements, most notably a bas-relief depicting the Expulsion of the Money-changers from the Temple.

The Courtyard of Orange Trees was the place where ritual ablutions were performed before entering the mosque for prayer.

The library of ancient manuscripts is also an archive of Columbus’s life (see Discovery of America) and his letters. It was founded by the explorer’s son, himself an avid adventurer; he bequeathed more than 20,000 volumes of his travels to the city when he died in 1539.

Inside the cathedral the Gothic arches are so high that the building is said to have its own independent climate.

The main altar’s tour de force is its 15th-century retablo , which is the world’s largest altar-piece . Composed of gilded carved wood, it boasts some 45 Biblical scenes employing some 1,000 figures.

Part of the cathedral’s treasury is housed here. The anteroom displays the Tenebrario, a 7.8-m (25-ft) Plateresque candelabrum used during Holy Week. Inside, the star turns are a painting by Goya of Seville’s patron saints, Justa and Rufina, as well as canvases by Zurbarán, Jordaens and other Masters.

The Main Sacristy is dominated by a dome , designed in the 16th century. The centre-piece of the sacristy is a 450-kg (990-lb), 3-m (10-ft) silver Baroque monstrance created by Juan de Arfe.

The Chapter House contains Murillo’s Immaculate Conception in the vault and boasts a lavish marble floor.

This grand tower is the symbol of Seville, built between 1172 and 1195. It takes its name from the weathervane on top, called El Giraldillo .