t The glittering Baroque interior of the Iglesia de la Magdalena
Founded in 1674, this charity hospital is still used today as a sanctuary for the elderly and the infirm. In the gardens opposite the entrance stands a statue of its benefactor, Miguel de Mañara, who led a dissolute life before joining a Christian brotherhood.
The hospital centres around two square patios adorned with plants, 18th-century Dutch azulejos, and fountains with Italian statues depicting Charity and Mercy. At their northern end a passage to the right leads to another patio, containing a 13th-century arch, which survives from the city’s shipyards, and a bust of Mañara.
The façade of the hospital church, with its whitewashed walls, reddish stonework and framed azulejos, provides a glorious example of Sevillian Baroque. Inside the church are a number of original canvases. Directly above the entrance is the ghoulish Finis Gloriae Mundi (The End of the World’s Glories) by Juan de Valdés Leal, and opposite hangs his morbid In Ictu Oculi (In the Blink of an Eye). Works by Murillo include St John of God Carrying a Sick Man, St John the Baptist as a Boy and St Isabel of Hungary Curing the Lepers.
Looking south from the hospital’s entrance you can see the octagonal Torre de Plata (Tower of Silver) rising above Calle Santander. Like the Torre del Oro, it dates from Moorish times and was built as part of the city defences.
Miguel de Mañara is said to have been the inspiration for the character of Don Juan.
t The glittering Baroque interior of the Iglesia de la Magdalena
This immense Baroque church by Spanish architect Leonardo de Figueroa, completed in 1709, has been restored to its former glory. In its southwest corner is a Mudéjar chapel with three cupolas, which survived from an earlier church where the great Spanish painter Bartolomé Murillo, the creator of La Servilleta, was baptized in 1618. You can see the font in the baptistry.
A painting by Francisco de Zurbarán, St Dominic in Soria, adorns the Capilla Sacramental (to the right of the south door), while frescoes by Lucas Valdés above the sanctuary depict The Allegory of the Triumph of Faith. On the north transept is a cautionary fresco, which depicts a medieval auto-da-fé (trial of faith).
In Moorish times the Tower of Gold formed part of the walled defences, linking up with the Real Alcázar and the rest of the city walls. It was built in 1220, when Seville was under the rule of the Almohads (a Berber group) and had a companion tower on the opposite river bank. A mighty chain would be stretched between the two to prevent ships from sailing upriver. In 1760 the turret was added.
The gold in the tower’s name may refer to gilded azulejos that once clad its walls, or to treasures from the Americas unloaded at the Torre del Oro. The tower has had many uses, including acting as a chapel and a prison, but it is now the Museo Marítimo, exhibiting maritime maps and antiques.
Seville’s 1,800-seat opera house and theatre opened in 1991 and many international opera companies perform here. Like many of the edifices built in the run-up to Expo ’92, it was designed in a rather austere style by architects Luis Marín de Terán and Aurelio del Pozo. Ironwork remnants of the 19th-century ammunition works that first occupied the site decorate the river façade. Tickets are sold from the box office in the adjacent Jardín de la Caridad.
Seville’s famous bullring is arguably the finest in all of Spain and hosts corridas (bullfights) from Easter Sunday until October, usually on Sunday evenings. Whatever your opinion is of bullfighting, this magnificent arcaded arena, with its whitewashed walls, red fences and merciless circle of sand, remains an integral element of the city’s psyche. Constructed between 1761 and 1881, this immense building can hold a mind-boggling 12,500 spectators.
Guided tours start from the main entrance on Paseo de Colón. On the west side is the Puerta del Príncipe (Prince’s Gate), through which the very best matadors are carried triumphant on the shoulders of admirers from the crowd.
Passing the enfermería (emergency hospital), visitors reach a museum which details the history of the bullfight in Seville, with a large collection of costumes, portraits and posters. The tour also takes in the chapel where matadors pray for success, and the stables where the horses of the picadores (lance-carrying horsemen) are kept.
t Statue of Seville-born matador Curro Romero outside the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza
Experience El Arenal
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Eat La Casapuerta Order the creamy asparagus croquettas (croquettes) at this inviting restaurant near the Museo de Bellas Artes. F6 ⌂ Calle San Roque 13 § 722 19 94 16 ¢ Tue ¡¡¡ Stay Hotel Mercer Sevilla This boutique hotel is set in a 19th-century mansion. The rooftop bar is the perfect venue for a sundowner. F7 ⌂ Calle Castelar 26 ∑ mercersevilla.com ¡¡¡ |