Sights in Seville
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Parque de María Luisa & Plaza de España
A large area south of the former tobacco factory (Antigua Fábrica de Tabacos) was transformed for Seville’s 1929 international fair, the Exposición Iberoamericana, when architects adorned it with fantastical buildings, many of them harking back to Seville’s past glory or imitating the native styles of Spain’s former colonies. In its midst you’ll find the large Parque de María Luisa, a living expression of Seville’s Moorish and Christian past.
Plaza de España, one of the city’s favourite relaxation spots, faces the park across Avenida de Isabel la Católica. Around it is the most grandiose of the 1929 buildings, a semicircular brick-and-tile confection…
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Tomb of Christopher Columbus
Inside the cathedral's southern door stands the Tomb of Christopher Columbus, an elaborate monument dating from 1902 with four sepulchre-bearers representing the four kingdoms of Spain at the time of Columbus' 1492 voyage: Castile, León, Aragón and Navarra. But are the bones within really those of the great explorer?
The tomb holds bones brought back from the Caribbean in 1899 and long thought to be Columbus'. However, the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean claims that Columbus' bones lie beneath a monument in its capital, Santo Domingo. Since 2003 researchers have been conducting tests on various bones from the Seville cathedral tomb and elsewhere to try to resolve…
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Alcázar
If heaven really does exist, then let's hope it looks a little bit like the inside of Seville's Alcázar. Built primarily in the 1300s during the so-called 'dark ages' in Europe, the architecture is anything but dark. Indeed, compared to our modern-day shopping malls and throw-away apartment blocks, it could be argued that the Alcázar marked one of history's architectural high points. Unesco agreed, making it a World Heritage Site in 1987.
Originally founded as a fort for the Cordoban governors of Seville in 913, the Alcázar has been expanded or reconstructed many times in its 11 centuries of existence. In the 11th century Seville’s prosperous Muslim taifa (small…
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Cathedral
Seville’s immense cathedral, officially the biggest in the world, is awe-inspiring in its scale and sheer majesty. It stands on the site of the great 12th-century Almohad mosque, with the mosque’s minaret (the Giralda) still towering beside it. After Seville fell to the Christians in 1248 the mosque was used as a church until 1401. Then, in view of its decaying state, the church authorities decided to knock it down and start again. ‘Let us create such a building that future generations will take us for lunatics’, they decided (or so legend has it). The result is a cathedral measuring 126m long and 83m wide.
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Plaza de España
Plaza de España, a rather isolated and relaxing spot with its fountains and mini-canals, faces the northeastern side of Parque de María Luisa across Avenida de Isabel la Católica. Curving round the plaza is the most grandiose of the 1929 Exposición buildings, a brick-and-tile confection featuring Seville tilework at its gaudiest, with a map and historical scene for each Spanish province - all designed by the leading Iberoamericana architect, Sevillan Aníbal González.
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Museo del Baile Flamenco
The brainchild of sevillana flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos, this museum spread over three floors of an 18th-century palace makes a noble effort to showcase the mysterious art, although at €10 a pop it is more than a little overpriced. Exhibits include sketches, paintings, photos of erstwhile (and contemporary) flamenco greats, plus a collection of dresses and shawls.
Classes, workshops and fantastic concerts are regular occurrences here and there’s the obligatory shop.
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Basílica de La Macarena
This basilica is the home of Seville’s most revered Virgin and will give you a whiff of the fervour inspired by Semana Santa. The Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena (Macarena Virgin of Hope), a magnificent statue adorned with a golden crown, lavish vestments, and five diamond-and-emerald brooches donated by famous 20th-century matador Joselito El Gallo, stands in splendour behind the main altarpiece.
La Macarena, as she is commonly known, is the patron of bullfighters and Seville’s supreme representation of the grieving, yet hopeful, mother of Christ. The power of this fragile, beautiful statue is most evident in the small hours of the madrugá (Good Friday) Semana…
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Bullring
In the world of bullfighting Seville’s bullring is the Old Trafford and Camp Nou of bullfighting. In other words, if you’re selected to fight here then you’ve made it. In addition to being regarded as a building of almost religious significance to fans, it’s also the oldest ring in Spain (building began in 1758) and it was here, along with the bullring at Ronda, that bullfighting on foot began in the 18th century. Interesting guided visits, in English and Spanish, take you into the ring and its museum. Should you want to catch a bullfight the season runs from Easter to October with fights most Sundays at around 7pm and every day during the Feria de Abril. Tickets,…
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Iglesia de la Magdalena
One of Seville's outstanding baroque churches, the Iglesia de la Magdalena was built between 1691 and 1709. Two paintings by Zurbarán hang in the Capilla Sacramental (the first chapel on the right from the entrance), and a fine 1612 Crucifixion sculpture, El Cristo del Calvario (The Christ of Calvary) by Francisco de Ocampo, is in the chapel to the right of the main altar.
The church is the home of the Quinta Angustia brotherhood, whose 17th-century Descendimiento tableau, showing the taking down of Jesus from the cross, is carried through Seville's streets during Semana Santa. This can usually be seen in the chapel on the left as you enter the church: the Christ is…
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Patio del León
The Patio del León was the garrison yard of the Al-Muwarak palace. Off here, the Sala de la Justicia (Hall of Justice), with beautiful Mudéjar plasterwork, was built in the 1340s by Alfonso XI, who disported here with his mistress Leonor de Guzmán.
Alfonso's dalliances left his heir Pedro I (El Cruel/Justiciero) with five half-brothers and a severe case of sibling rivalry. Pedro had a dozen friends and relatives murdered in his efforts to stay on the throne. One of the half-brothers, Don Fadrique, met his maker right here in the Sala de la Justicia. The room gives on to the pretty Patio del Yeso, a 19th-century reconstruction of part of the 12th-century Almohad palace.
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Parroquia del Divino Salvador
The Plaza Salvador, which has a few popular bars, was once the forum of Roman Hispalis. It's dominated by the Parroquia del Salvador, a big baroque church built between 1674 and 1712 on the site of Muslim Ishbiliya's main mosque. Before the mosque, early Christian churches stood here, and before them, a Roman temple.
At the time of writing the church was closed for restoration work and archaeological investigation, but on its northern side, the mosque's small patio remains open, with a few half-buried Roman columns.
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Capilla de San Antonio
The sheer size of the broad, five-naved cathedral is obscured by a welter of interior decoration typical of Spanish cathedrals. The chapels along the northern and southern sides are as rich in sculpture, stained glass and painting as any church chapels in Spain. Near the western end of the northern side is the Capilla de San Antonio, with Murillo's large 1666 canvas depicting the vision of St Anthony of Padua; thieves excised the kneeling saint in 1874 but he was found in New York and put back.
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Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera
It is said that the only thing that divides Seville, apart from the Guadalquivir, is the sevillanos' passionate support for its two rival professional clubs, Real Betis and Sevilla. Both teams are currently well established in the Primera Liga and players on Betis' books include Spanish international midfield star Joaquín.
Betis plays at the Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, beside Avenida de Jerez (the Cádiz road). Take the southbound bus 34 from opposite the main tourist office.
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Palacio de Don Pedro
Whatever else Pedro I may have done, posterity owes him a big thank you for building this wonderful palace inside the Alcázar in the 1360s. His Muslim ally Mohammed V of Granada, the man responsible for the Alhambra's fabulous Palacio de los Leones, sent along many of his best artisans to help. These were joined by others from Toledo and Seville, and their work, drawing on the traditions of the Almohads and caliphal Córdoba, is a unique synthesis of Iberian Islamic art.
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Iglesia del Cristo de la Expiración
Triana has several diverse and important churches and chapels. Among the most important is the Iglesia del Cristo de la Expiración, which houses a much loved figure of the dead Christ, dating from 1682, that takes an honoured place in Seville's Semana Santa processions. The image is known as El Cachorro (The Puppy): sculptor Antonio Ruiz Gijón was reputedly inspired by the agonised body of a gitano singer of that name who had died in a fight in this street.
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Capilla Mayor
Towards the east end of the main nave of the Cathedral is the Capilla Mayor, whose Gothic altarpiece is the jewel of the cathedral and reckoned to be the biggest altarpiece in the world. Begun by Flemish sculptor Pieter Dancart in 1482 and completed by others by 1564, this sea of gilded and polychromed wood holds more than 1000 carved biblical figures. At the centre of the lowest level is the 13th-century image of the Virgen de la Sede, patron of the cathedral.
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Parroquia de Santa Ana
The Parroquia de Santa Ana, dating from 1280, has a wealth of antique religious imagery.
A strange tradition has it that every woman who kicks ‘El Negro,’ a 16th-century tomb that has tiles depicting a recumbent knight, will find a husband. Poor El Negro has been protected by benches and other obstacles to prevent damage to this precious artwork, but women still want husbands so El Negro keeps getting a stiletto where it hurts.
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Cartuja 93
Many of the exotic Expo pavilions are now encompassed within this technology park, which is home to nearly 200 companies and organisations employing nearly 9000 people. Many of the pavilions still look futuristic, though the built-in obsolescence of a few is starting to show through. You can wander around the area during daylight hours but you may find that the gates are only open on the western side on Calle Américo Vespucio.
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Sacristía de los Cálices
South of the Capilla Mayor are rooms containing many of the cathedral's art treasures. The westernmost of these is the Sacristía de los Cálices, where Goya's 1817 painting of the Seville martyrs Santas Justa y Rufina (potter sisters who died at the hands of the Romans in AD 287) hangs above the altar. A lion licks Rufina's feet, as reputedly happened when she was thrown to the said beasts during her travails.
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Hospital de la Caridad
The Hospital de la Caridad, a block east of the river, is an art gallery that was once a hospice for the elderly, which was founded by Miguel de Mañara, who according to legend was a notorious libertine who changed his ways after seeing a vision of his own funeral procession.
In the 1670s Mañara commissioned a series of works on the theme of death and redemption from Seville’s three finest artists of the day – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Juan de Valdés Leal and Pedro Roldán – for the church here. The result is a marvellous example of sevillano art of El Siglo de Oro (the Golden Century).
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Catedral & Giralda
After Seville fell to the Christians in 1248 its main mosque was used as a church until 1401, when it was knocked down to make way for what would become one of the world’s largest cathedrals and an icon of Gothic architecture. The building wasn’t completed until 1507. The original mosque’s beautiful minaret, La Giralda, still stands on its eastern side. There is wheelchair access to the cathedral complex.
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Royal Shipyards
King Alfonso X 'the Wise' commissioned the Royal Shipyards in 1252. In all, 17 naves or bays were built on what were then the sandy banks of the Guadalquivir. After some years as a customs shed, it became an army arsenal and warehouse in the 18th century, then languished until 1993. It's now being restored and is destined to be the splendid new home of the city's maritime museum.
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Conjunto Monumental de la Cartuja
Founded in 1399, this monastery is today home of the superb Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo which has a collection of modern Andalucian art and frequent temporary exhibitions. The Conjunto Monumental de la Cartuja became the favourite sevillano lodging place for Columbus, who prayed in its chapel before his trip to the Americas and whose remains lay here for more than two decades in the 1530s and 40s.
In 1839 the complex was bought by an enterprising Englishman, Charles Pickman, who turned it into a porcelain factory, building the tall bottle-shaped kilns that stand incongruously beside the monastery buildings. The factory ceased production in the 1980s and in 1992…
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Hotel Alfonso XIII
As much a monument as it is an accommodation option, and certainly more affordable if you come for a cup of coffee as opposed to a room, this striking hotel – conceived as the most luxurious in Europe when it was built in 1928 – was constructed in tandem with the Plaza de España for the 1929 world fair.
The style is classic neo-Mudéjar with glazed tiles and terracotta bricks.
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Sacristía Mayor
The large domed Sacristía Mayor is a Plateresque creation of 1528-47: the arch over its portal has carvings of 16th-century foods. The room's centrepiece is the Custodia de Juan de Arfe, a huge 475kg silver monstrance made in the 1580s by Renaissance metalsmith Juan de Arfe. In a glass case are the city keys handed to the conquering Fernando III in 1248.
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