Sacristy of the Chalices, Seville Cathedral

The sacristy of the Chalices is a rectangular building built into the Cathedral of Seville which houses a splendid collection of religious painting.

The construction of the Chalices sacristy began in 1509 by the master builder of the cathedral Alonso Rodríguez. After the management passed through different hands and the works were stopped for a time, the project was resumed with a new design made by Diego de Riaño, although finally, due to the master’s death, it was completed by Martín de Gainza in 1537.

Inside there is a large collection of religious paintings from the 15th to the 19th century. Among the artists, Juan Sánchez de Castro, Alejo Fernández, Francisco de Zurbarán, Luis Tristán, Mattia Preti, Jacob Jordaens and Francisco de Goya stand out.

History and architecture
Already in 1509 there is news of the start of works by the Mayor of the Cathedral Alonso Rodríguez. From 1512, the prestigious architect Juan Gil de Hontañón took over.

After a period of work stoppage, in 1530 Diego de Riaño presented a project that was approved by the Cabildo, which also included the Sacristía Mayor, the Chapter Hall and several intermediate courtyards, the Patio de los Oleos and the Patio del Mariscal.

Diego de Riaño, assumed what was already built in the Gothic style, but added Renaissance elements, such as the central vault on semicircular arches, with beautiful ribs that are only ornamental. Upon his death, Martín de Gainza took over, culminating the closure of the vault in 1537.

Artistic content
Magnificent gallery of religious themes. It covers from the XV to the XIX century.

Juan Sánchez de Castro. The Virgin with Saint Peter and Saint Paul (late 15th century).
Alejo Fernández. The embrace of San Joaquín and Santa Ana (between 1508 and 1512)
Alejo Fernández. The Birth of the Virgin (between 1508 and 1512)
Alejo Fernández. The Adoration of the Kings (between 1508 and 1512)
Alejo Fernández. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (between 1508 and 1512)
Pedro Fernández de Guadalupe (attribution). Saint Peter (1528).
Juan Sánchez de San Román. Calvary (late 15th century)
Juan Núñez. Mercy with Saint Vincent and Saint Michael (late 15th century)
Francisco de Zurbarán. The Virgin with the Child
Luis Tristan. The Trinity (1624)
Pablo Legot. Saint Jerome (1640)
Mattia Preti. Guardian Angel (1660)
Juan de Valdés Leal. San Lázaro with Santa Marta and María Magdalena (1660)
Francisco de Goya. The saints Justa and Rufina (1817)
Francisco de Zurbarán. Crucified Christ (around 1650)
Juan de Roelas. The Glory (1615)
Jacob Jordaens. The Adoration of the Kings (1669)
Jacob Jordaens. The Circumcision (1669)
Francisco de Zurbarán. Saint John the Baptist (1640)

Seville cathedral treasure
The treasure of the cathedral of Seville is considered one of the best preserved artistic treasures in the ecclesiastical environment of Spain. Its funds are comparable to those collected in the National Library and El Escorial.

It is composed of pieces of all sizes and materials (gold, silver, pearl, rhinestones, velvet, etc.), among them are sacred vessels, reliquaries, custodians, processional crosses, books, choir books (approximately 300), ornaments and dresses for the liturgy (approximately 2000) in addition to all works of art (approximately 550 paintings dated between the 15th and 20th centuries, signed by Pedro de Campaña, Francisco Pacheco, Francisco Herrera, Zurbarán, Murillo, Valdés Leal, Matías de Arteaga, among others), sculptures (exterior and interior, some sepulchral in marble, wood or alabaster) and altarpieces (dated between the XV and XVIII centuries), etc., distributed among the different chapels of which the Cathedral is composed.

Of the treasure, the elements that are related to the conquest of the city by King San Fernando stand out, such as his sword, the banner and other relics, as well as the keys to the city. The Alphonse tables are also preserved, made by King Alfonso X the Wise.

Other pieces correspond to dates after the discovery of America and linked to this new world, such as a paten (used in the first mass celebrated in Mexico), the silver vizarrones (huge candelabra that hold candles).

Among the large items, a bronze candelabra (Tenebrario) stands over seven meters high and the Custody of Corpus Christi, made of silver, dating from the 16th century.

Most of the pieces are exposed in the room known as the “House of Accounts” of the cathedral, although another good part is found in the ” Sacristía Mayor ” and in the ” Sacristía de los Cálices “. However, other pieces of it are found in other spaces of the temple, such as the ” Royal Chapel ” and the “Greater Chapel”.

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.