Situated on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Seville has a rich Moorish heritage, and used to be a prosperous port that carried out trade with the Americas.
As a backgrounder, Seville is the biggest city in Andalucia and is one of the cities with more history, more art and culture. If any one place comes close to rolling together everything that’s quintessentially Andalucian, it’s Seville.
Here in the region’s capital and biggest city, that special Andalucian way of life is distilled into its purest and most intense form. Seville has the most passionate and portentous Semana Santa (Holy Week), the most festive and romantic annual feria (fair), the best tapas bars, the best nightlife and the most stylish people in Andalucía. It has narrower, winding, medieval lanes and romantic, hidden plazas soaked in the scent of orange blossom than half of Andalucía’s other cities put together. It’s the home of those two bulwarks of Andalucian tradition, flamenco and bullfighting, and its heritage of art and architecture (Roman, Islamic, Gothic, Renaissance, baroque) is without rival in southern Spain.
And to have a taste of what Seville has to offer, our first stop was the Plaza de España, a beautiful Mudejar plaza constructed for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It certainly is one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. An impressive complex arranged around a central plaza, it includes a very large palace behind the open plaza. The façade of the building is Baroque and the rest is Renaissance. Ceramic tiled bridges cross the small canal that separate the plaza from the large building.
To say that it is impressive is an understatement. It is magnificent!!!
Thereafter, we proceeded to the city’s next top attraction: the Alcazar, home to Seville’s rulers from Roman times. The Moors built a compound of graceful tiled palaces here, ornately carved with ancient symbols, with beautiful rambling gardens.
The Alcazar is one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain. It is also the oldest European royal residence and is not one building, but a group of buildings from different time periods and each building has a different architectural style.
Nearby, and in direct contrast, is the Seville Cathedral. It is the largest Gothic church in the world, awe inspiring in its hugeness and simplicity. The Giralda tower at one end was originally a Moorish minaret and was incorporated into the design.
The building of the Cathedral of Seville was started in 1401 after the destruction of the Moorish mezquita that was in that location. It is the 3rd largest church in the world, after Saint Peter’s in Rome and Saint Paul’s in London. Because the ceiling is so high, the cathedral is the largest volume church in the world. The church also has renaissance and mannerist designs.
When one enters the church, one has the sense of being very small in such a large church. The interior of the cathedral is magnificent, with numerous chapels, a beautiful choir, remarkable vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. The best materials and furnishings were used in building the church. This included Flemish altar screens, 75 stained glass windows, sculptured portals, wrought iron grills, marble floors, and bronze candelabra.
The most spectacular part of the interior is undoubtedly the golden Retablo Mayor (main altarpiece). The Retablo Mayor, the largest altarpiece in the world, consists of 36 gilded relief panels depicting scenes from the old testament and the lives of saints.
At one corner in the front of the church, in the transept, is the tomb of Christopher Columbus. His body was brought here from Cuba at the end of the 1890s. The sarcophagus of Columbus is carried by four large statues, representing the kingdoms of Aragón, Castille, León and Navarra. Recent DNA analysis by scientists show that the remains in this tomb belong to Christopher Columbus, as they were compared to the bones of his son, Fernando Colon, whose remains are in a tomb at the west end of the nave.
The crowning piece of the Seville Cathedral is the famous Giralda Bell Tower. It used to be the minaret of the old mosque. The Christians topped the minaret with a five-story bell tower in 1568. On top of the bell tower is a weathervane in the form of a statue of Faith, called the giraldilla (something that turns), since it turns with the wind. The statue has a standard and a palm frond in his hands. That is how the tower got the name of La Giralda.
The cathedral has the UNESCO World Heritage designation. Also it has 500 priceless works of art, such as paintings by Murillo (the Immaculate Conception and Saint Anthony), Zurbarán and Francisco de Goya.
The cloister has the beautiful Patio de los Naranjos. The garden is of Moorish origin and was built on top of the old mosque’s courtyard. There is an octagonal Visigoth fountain in the center that was used by the Moors for religious ablutions.
Thereafter, we were given some time to have lunch and wander around. And guess what, since tapas originated from Seville, that was exactly what we had for lunch, topped off with sangria, at Don Juan Restaurant. Bliss!!!
After lunch, I opted to go back to the hotel, which was a good choice, and had a long siesta (thanks to the sangria). After a much-needed rest, I dolled up for the evening for our dinner and Flamenco Show at El Palacio Andaluz. What a fun-filled evening to cap a fun-filled day!
To recap, more than any other city in Spain, Seville shows the marks of the country’s colourful and often tempestuous history. Orange scented, passionate and gracious, Seville remains the archetype of Andalucian promise. Every moment has the potential to be intense and dramatic.
But Seville’s most developed art form is that of enjoying oneself. To be out at night among the city’s relaxed, fun-loving crowds – in the tapas bars, on the streets, in the clubs and discos – is an experience you won’t forget.
As it did for me - it was an experience I won’t ever forget!
To Be Continued.....
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