t The two marble columns on the Alameda de Hércules, bathed in morning light
g La Macarena g Contents
t The two marble columns on the Alameda de Hércules, bathed in morning light
This tree-lined boulevard was originally laid out in 1574, transforming a former marshy area into a fashionable promenade for sevillanos in the 16th century. Today it’s a trendy, clean promenade with a bohemian charm; there are walk-through fountains for hot days, and a children’s playground. It is also a main centre of nightlife in Seville, with an eclectic mix of bars, cafés and restaurants.
At the southern end stand two marble columns brought here from a Roman temple dedicated to Hercules in what is now Calle Mármoles (Marbles Street), where three other columns remain. Time-worn statues of Hercules and Julius Caesar cap the Alameda’s columns.
Behind the ancient walls of the Monasterio de San Clemente is a tranquil cloister and an arcade with a side entrance to the monastery’s church. This atmospheric church can also be entered from Calle Reposo. Its features range from the 13th to 18th centuries, and include a fine Mudéjar artesonado ceiling (with a geometric pattern), azulejos dating from 1588, a Baroque main retablo by architect Felipe de Rivas and early 18th-century frescoes by painter Lucas Valdés.
At the times posted outside the gate, the nuns that live here sell a range of sweets, pastries and preserves.
Experience La Macarena
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One of the best-preserved historical surprises in Seville, this 13th-century tower stands like a chess-piece castle in the courtyard of the Convento de Santa Clara and once formed part of the defences for the palace of the Infante Don Fadrique. There are fine views from the top of the tower.
The Parliament of Andalucía has its seat in an impressive Renaissance building, the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (Hospital of the Five Wounds). The hospital, founded in 1500 by nobleman Catalina de Ribera, was originally sited near Casa de Pilatos. In 1540 work began on the new site, and it became Europe’s largest hospital. Designed by a succession of architects, its south front has a Baroque central portal by Asensio de Maeda.
The hospital was completed in 1613, and admitted patients until the 1960s. In 1992 it was restored for the Parliament.
At the heart of the complex, the Mannerist church, built by Hernán Ruiz the Younger in 1560, makes up the debating chamber.
Housed in the Tower of Perdigones, this huge camera obscura uses mirrors and magnifying lenses to project a real-time image of the surrounding area.
The Virgen de la Macarena is the patron saint of bullfighters, tailors, the Romani and liver donors.
Built in 1949, the Basílica de la Macarena houses the much-loved statue of the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena, which stands above the main altar amid waterfalls of gold and silver. Paintings by Rafael Rodríguez Hernández have themes focusing on the Virgin. In the adjacent museum there are magnificent processional garments as well as gowns made from trajes de luces (matadors’ outfits), donated no doubt by grateful bullfighters. Huge floats used in Semana Santa, among them La Macarena’s elaborate silver platform, can also be admired.
Experience La Macarena
Devotions to the Virgen de la Macarena reach their peak during Semana Santa, when her statue is borne through the streets on a canopied float decorated with swathes of white flowers, candles and ornate silverwork. Accompanied by hooded penitents and cries of ¡guapa! (beautiful!) from her followers, the virgin travels from the Basílica de la Macarena to the Cathedral on Good Friday.
A section of the defensive wall that once enclosed Seville survives along calles Andueza and Muñoz León. It runs from the rebuilt Puerta de la Macarena at the Basílica de la Macarena to the Puerta de Córdoba some 400 m (1,300 ft) further east.
Dating from the 12th century, it was constructed as a curtain wall with a patrol path in the middle. The original walls had over 100 towers; the Torre Blanca is one of seven that can be seen here. At the eastern end stands the 17th-century Iglesia de San Hermenegildo, named after a Visigothic king allegedly martyred on this site.
t The Murallas, or city walls, protecting Seville from invasion since medieval times
This 14th-century church retains several Mudéjar features, notably its Giralda-like tower (based on the minaret of an earlier mosque) and the decoration on the Gothic portal on Plaza de San Marcos. The restoration of the interior has highlighted unique horseshoe arches in the nave. A statue of St Mark with book and quill pen, attributed to Baroque sculptor Juan de Mesa, is in the far left corner.
In the plaza is the Convento de Santa Isabel, founded in 1490. It became a women’s prison in the 19th century. The church within the convent dates from 1609. Its Baroque portal, facing onto Plaza de Santa Isabel, has a bas-relief of The Visitation by Andrés de Ocampo.
The church where the painter Diego Velázquez was baptized in 1599 presents a typically Sevillian mix of architectural styles. Mudéjar elements survive in the lobed brick-work of its tower, which is surmounted by a Baroque belfry. The principal portal, facing Plaza de San Pedro, is another Baroque adornment added by stonemason Diego de Quesada in 1613. A statue of St Peter looks disdainfully down at the traffic below.
The poorly lit interior has a Mudéjar wooden ceiling and west door. The vault of one of its chapels is decorated with exquisite geometric patterns formed of interlacing bricks.
Behind the church, in Calle Doña María Coronel, cakes and biscuits are sold by nuns from a revolving drum in the wall of the Convento de Santa Inés. An arcaded patio fronts its restored church, which has frescoes by Francisco de Herrera and a nuns’ choir separated from the public by a screen. The preserved body of Doña María Coronel, the convent’s 14th-century founder, is honoured in the choir every 2 December.
Experience La Macarena
Bell towers rise above the rooftops of Seville like bookmarks flagging the passing centuries. The influence of La Giralda is seen in the Moorish arches and tracery adorning the 14th-century tower of San Marcos, and the Mudéjar brickwork which forms the base for San Pedro’s belfry. The churches of Santa Paula and La Magdalena reflect the ornate confidence of the Baroque period, while the towers of San Ildefonso illustrate the Neo-Classical tastes of the 19th century.
One of the most remarkable examples of the Baroque style of architecture in Seville, the Iglesia San Luís de los Franceses was designed by Spanish architect Leonardo de Figueroa and built between 1699 and 1730. It was built for the Jesuits but, after the order was expelled from Spain in 1835, it had a variety of uses over the following years, including functioning as a convent, factory and hospital.
The church was built at an angle so that the main altar sits in the west. This means that the fabulous altarpiece by sculptor Duque Cornejo is usually bathed in light. The lesser altars of San Estanislao and San Francisco Borja are positioned so that they receive the most sunlight on their relevant saint’s day.
As well as the main altar, the interior’s other highlight is its dome, which is decorated with significant religious scenes from the old and new testaments. Some of these frescoes are the work of Spanish Baroque painter Lucas de Valdés.
t The interior of the Iglesia San Luís de los Franceses
Experience La Macarena
t San Luís de los Franceses's two domed towers and cupola
Experience La Macarena
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Experience La Macarena
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t Dining room of the Palacio de las Dueñas, official residence of the Dukes of Alba
Built in Renaissance style with Mudéjar and Gothic influences, this late 15th-century palace is considered one of the most beautiful in Seville, with lovely courtyards and gardens. Famous Spanish poet Antonio Machado (1875–1939) was born here, and many of his verses highlight the beauty and grandeur of this extraordinary estate.
The palace is a treasure trove of antiques and grand rooms with elegant period furniture. There are also displays of family photos and personal letters. A room is dedicated to the history of the Feria de Abril.
Seville has many enclosed religious complexes, but only a few are accessible. This is one of them, a convent set up in 1475 and currently home to 27 nuns from four continents. The public is welcome to enter through two different doors in the Calle Santa Paula. Knock on the brown one, marked No 11, to have a look at the convent museum. Steps lead to two galleries crammed with religious paintings and artifacts. The windows of the second door look onto the nuns’ cloister, which echoes with laughter in the afternoon recreation hour. The nuns make a phenomenal range of marmalades and jams, which visitors may purchase in a room near the exit.
Ring the bell by a brick doorway nearby to visit the convent church, reached by crossing a meditative garden. Its portal vividly combines Gothic arches, Mudéjar brickwork, Renaissance medallions and ceramics by the Italian artist Nicola Pisano. Inside, the nave has a wooden roof carved in 1623. Among its statues are St John the Evangelist and St John the Baptist, carved by sculptor Juan Martínez Montañés.
Built on the former site of a mosque, this 14th-century church has a Mudéjar tower modelled on La Giralda, which has been spared the customary Baroque hat. On the west side, by Calle Alhóndiga, the Gothic portal is originally from the Iglesia de Santa Lucía, knocked down in 1930. Within its entrance is a horseshoe arch. At the far left end of the nave, the Capilla Sacramental is by architect Leonardo de Figueroa. On the right, the Capilla de la Exaltación has a decorative ceiling and a figure of Christ by sculptor Pedro Roldán.
The Metropol Parasol is claimed to be the largest wooden structure in the world.
t The honeycombed Metropol Parasol leisure complex
Known locally as “Las Setas” (The Mushrooms), this ultramodern structure with a latticed canopy was built from 2005 to 2011. It presents a striking contrast of modern architecture and astounding archaeological finds: the Observation Deck provides a soaring view of the city, with skywalks circling around the core of gastrobars, while the first floor has an open-air plaza, which hosts cultural events. The market buzzes with life on the ground floor, and the Antiquarium Museum, housed in the basement, showcases the archaeological remains that were found when this project began in 1973, with extensive Roman ruins from the Tiberius era (c AD 14–AD 37), and a Moorish house from the 12th and 13th centuries.
GREAT VIEW
See how many of Seville’s famous bell towers you can spot from the Metropol Parasol’s observation deck – perhaps with a drink in hand from one of the skywalk bars.