You are facing the Prince's Door, or Door of Saint Christopher, completed in 1917. Just behind it, inside the cathedral, lies one of Seville's most hotly debated mysteries: the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

1Well-travelled bones

Columbus died in Valladolid in 1506. His body was moved to the Carthusian monastery in Seville, then to the cathedral of Santo Domingo, in 1795 to Havana and, after Spain lost Cuba, back to Seville in early 1899. In 1902 Arturo Mélida's monument was installed here: four bronze heralds, representing Castile, León, Aragon and Navarre, carry the coffin on their shoulders.

2Is he really here?

In 1877 a lead box inscribed with Columbus's name turned up in Santo Domingo cathedral, and the Dominican Republic maintains that his remains never left. In 2006 a DNA study by the University of Granada compared the Seville bones with those of a relative and concluded that they belong to the admiral. They are not complete remains, so the debate has not been entirely settled.

Not far from here, in a gallery beside the Orange Tree Courtyard, a lizard hangs from the ceiling.

According to tradition, it recalls a crocodile given to Alfonso X by the Sultan of Egypt. That is why the gallery is known as the Lizard's, although the true origin of this votive offering is not documented.

3What to look for

  • The Giraldillo replica, a chance to see the figure crowning the tower up close.
  • The Neo-Gothic doorway, centuries younger than the rest of the building.
  • The Archive of the Indies opposite, which holds documents in Columbus's own hand.
Replica of the Giraldillo in front of the cathedral's Prince's Door
The replica lets you see up close the figure of Faith that crowns the Giralda.

Documented

Arturo Mélida's monument to Columbus was installed in the cathedral in 1902; a 2006 DNA study concluded that the Seville remains belong to the admiral.

Oral tradition

The cathedral lizard's origin as a gift from a Sultan of Egypt to Alfonso X is a tradition, not a documented fact.

Sources and credits

Seville Cathedral Chapter, official website; University of Granada, genetic identification laboratory (study led by José Antonio Lorente); Wikipedia, «Tomb of Christopher Columbus».

Photos:

  • The Prince's Door of Seville Cathedral with the Giraldillo replica in front: José Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0.
  • Replica of the Giraldillo in front of the cathedral's Prince's Door: Pollodelsimago, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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