Antechamber, Seville Cathedral

From the ornamentation room one returns to the Chapel of the Marshal, also located next to the chapter hall, it is accessed through the marshal’s chapel. It was designed by Hernán Ruiz II, in the year 1564, the plant is rectangular, with a stone-carved barrel vault with casetones and a lantern in its central part. It consists of an iconographic program with a series of classic sculptures that represent the virtues and a series of reliefs that exemplify these virtues appear as the models of good conduct that the canons would have to have for the good government of the cathedral.

It was the place for the capitulars to wait before accessing the Chapter Hall. The iconography and cartels arranged around it all, served as a preamble and awareness of the behavior in the decisions that the capitulants would have to have in order to act with kindness, justice and equity with respect to the issues that were dealt with in the chapter.

From this vestibule one passes to the Antecabildo, carried out in its architectural layout by Hernan Ruiz II, who worked on the site around 1560; the works were completed by Asensio de Maeda around 1582, finally configuring a rectangular enclosure covered with a box vault. The iconographic program of this enclosure, which was carried out in times past as stewardship, the place of administration of the Cathedral, is intended to exalt the virtues that the ecclesiastics who have to deal with the economy of the temple should have. Reliefs of Solomon and the Savior appear on the left door, while King David is also depicted on reliefs on the right and to the Virgin Mary.

It was the iconographic program of this wonderful site made in times past. A place of administration of the Cathedral that exalts the virtues that should have the ecclesiastics who were concerned with the economy of the temple.

On the right side there are representations of Justice, Prudence, Fortress, Providence, among which there are reliefs of Moses leading the people of Israel, The punishment of Amon, Moses working wonders before Pharaoh, The apocalyptic harlot on ivy and Babel’s tower.

On the left wall appear Piety, Temperance, Hope, Charity and reliefs with The Coming of the Holy Spirit, Wisdom with the sciences and the arts, Jesus among the doctors, Vices with Wrath and Justice expelling vices. Representations of The Four Evangelists, The Entry of Animals into Noah’s Ark and The Sacrifice of Noah after the Flood appear on the front walls.The sculptural decoration of this room is attributed with foundation to the sculptor Diego de Pesquera, being its realization dated around 1575-1580. In the showcases that appear in the room there is a wide collection of choir books and codices whose date ranges from the 15th to the XVIII; They feature interventions by painters, Flemish, Italian and French illuminators. The carved lectern and facistoles from the mid-18th century are notorious.

Seville Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See is located in Seville. It is Gothic in style. It is the largest cathedral in the world. The Unesco declared in 1987, with the Real Alcázar and the Archivo de Indias, Heritage and, on July 25, 2010, Good of outstanding universal value. According to tradition, the construction began in 1401, although there is no documentary evidence of the beginning of the works until 1433. The construction was carried out on the site that was left after the demolition of the old aljama mosque in Seville, whose minaret (La Giralda) and patio (patio de los Naranjos) are still preserved.

One of the first masters of works was Master Carlin (Charles Galter), from Normandy (France), who had previously worked in other great European Gothic cathedrals and arrived in Spain believed to be fleeing the Hundred Years War. On October 10, 1506, the last stone was placed in the highest part of the dome, with which symbolically the cathedral was completed, although in fact work continued uninterruptedly throughout the centuries, both for the interior decoration, such as to add new rooms or to consolidate and restore the damage caused by the passage of time, or extraordinary circumstances, among which it is worth noting the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 that produced only minor damage despite its intensity. The architects Diego de Riaño, Martín de Gainza and Asensio de Maeda intervened in these works. Also at this stageHernán Ruiz built the last body of the Giralda. The cathedral and its outbuildings were completed in 1593.

The Metropolitan Cabildo maintains the daily liturgy and the celebration of the Corpus, Immaculate and Virgin of the Kings festivities. This last day, August 15, is also the titular festival of the temple, Santa María de la Asunción or de la Sede, and is celebrated with a solemn third and pontifical procession.

The temple houses the mortal remains of Christopher Columbus and several kings of Castile: Pedro I el Cruel, Fernando III el Santo and his son, Alfonso X el Sabio.

One of the last important works carried out took place in 2008 and consisted of replacing 576 ashlars that made up one of the great pillars that support the temple, with new stone blocks of similar characteristics but with much greater resistance. This difficult work was possible thanks to the use of innovative technological systems that showed that the building suffered oscillations of 2 cm daily as a consequence of the expansion of its materials.