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All Spain Seville Tomb of Christopher Columbus

Tomb of Christopher Columbus

The final resting place of the great navigator, or maybe his brother.

Seville, Spain

Added By
Annetta Black
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Tomb of Columbus in Seville Cathedral   Pom² / CC BY-SA 3.0
Tomb of Columbus in Seville Cathedral   Pom² / CC BY-SA 3.0
Detail of bat heraldry on Aragonés pallbearer’s vestments   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Side view of the Tomb of Christopher Columbus   Jeremy D / Atlas Obscura User
Oct.2018   StephenVincent / Atlas Obscura User
Bay heraldry on Aragonés pallbearer   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Catedral de Santa María de la Sede   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
  scamb66 / Atlas Obscura User
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Columbus Statue with Tourist   TravelTourist / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Just inside the Cathedral door of Seville’s massive cathedral stands a monument to Christopher Columbus. His tomb is held aloft by four allegorical figures representing the four kingdoms of Spain during Columbus’ life, Castille, Aragon, Navarre, and Leon.

The tomb was one of the last additions to the cathedral, installed in 1899. It was designed by the sculptor Arturo Melida, and was originally installed in Havana before being moved to Seville after Spain lost control of Cuba.

Columbus’ body began its final rest in Valladolid Spain, where he died in 1506, and was moved shortly thereafter to Seville, by orders of his surviving brother, Diego. In 1542, the remains were again moved, this time to Colonial Santo Domingo, in what is now the Dominican Republic, where they were installed in the newly completed Cathedral of Santa Maria. There they remained for a couple of centuries.

Then, in 1795 when Spain lost control of the Dominican Republic, they were moved again to Havana, Cuba. 100 years later, they made their final voyage back home to Seville, and placed in the cathedral where you can visit him today.

Unfortunately, after all that effort, in 1877 a very suspicious box was discovered back in Santo Domingo inscribed with the words "The illustrious and excellent man, Don Colon, Admiral of the Ocean Sea.”

That box is now contained in the massive “Faro a Colon” Lighthouse in Santo Domingo. Despite examinations and a recent DNA test of the remains in Seville, the question remains somewhat unsolved or completely resolved, depending on whom you ask.

Seville Cathedral was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

Related Tags

Dead Explorers Catacombs Christopher Columbus Catacombs And Crypts Cemeteries

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Blindcolour, ndgreco, miguelpendas, TravelTourist...

  • Blindcolour
  • ndgreco
  • miguelpendas
  • TravelTourist
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • scamb66
  • RachelCassidy
  • StephenVincent
  • mocchiatto
  • Jeremy D

Published

June 5, 2013

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Sources
  • http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/seville-cathedral
  • http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/seville/sights/dark/tomb-christopher-columbus
  • http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12871458/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/dna-verifies-columbus-remains-spain/#.TpNTMJsUqso
Tomb of Christopher Columbus
Seville Cathedral
Seville, 41004
Spain
37.385747, -5.993751
Get Directions

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