Seville’s iconic La Giralda affected by Storm Leonardo

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On Thursday morning, Local Police from the Andalusian capital cordoned off part of Plaza Virgen de los Reyes after structural elements were dislodged from the almost 100-metre-high monument

Tony Bryant

Friday, 6 February 2026, 11:28

Seville’s iconic landmark, La Giralda, has been impacted by this week’s historic episode of heavy rainfall and strong winds that are affecting the region.

On Thursday morning, Local Police cordoned off part of Plaza Virgen de los Reyes after structural elements were dislodged from the almost 100-metre-high monument due to Storm Leonardo. The fallen piece was one of the decorative lily-shaped urns that have topped the four corners of the bell tower’s terrace since 1751.

Municipal emergency services reported that the dislodged piece was detected shortly before 7am and 15 minutes later the square at the base of the site was cordoned off. The incident did not cause any personal injuries.

The Cathedral Chapter has reported that a visual technical inspection of the remaining urns of the Giralda was carried out by technicians, with no other apparent defects detected. In a statement, it confirmed that the monument has now reopened “as normal”.

The fleur-de-lis that came loose is made of cast bronze and forms part of a set of four identical pieces which, after deteriorating, were removed and reinstalled in the 1970s. Since then, they had not experienced any problems.