Andalusia 2020

Thursday5November

First day in Seville. We start with Pilate's House, Casa de Pilatos in Spanish in the text, a palace whose first walls date back to the 15th century.

The first owners of the premises were Pedro Enríquez and Catalina de Ribera, a wealthy couple of the Andalusian nobility who did everything to have the best of the time whether in terms of architecture or decoration...  

And in what is best, there are azulejos, earthenware with geometric patterns.

Accompanied by their wooden door just aged right.

The earthenware is not that old, it was installed between 1935 and 1939.

The fountain arrived well before in 1535.

The coffered ceilings (artesonados) in the Praetorium Hall.

Inside, azulejos cover the walls.

Some "small" decorative knick-knacks.

The tiling in the secondary patio with its small azulejos. I haven't checked but they seem all different to me.  

Another ceiling, coffered and painted woodwork for this one.

A small room serving as a small chapel, and more precisely for penances because it is named The Flagellation Chapel.

Pilate's cabinet.

At the turn of a living room, a painting forces the visitor to take the time to reflect...   We are in front of the astonishing "Bearded Woman", La mujer barbuda, by José de Ribera. The painter would have painted Félix de Amici and his wife Magdalena Ventura whose beard had started to grow from the age of 37...

The impressive climb upstairs where earthenware covers everything without forgetting the dome.

Let's leave Pilate's house to stroll through the streets of Seville.

Streets that turn into alleys in some places.

We arrive in front of the cathedral tower, the famous "Giralda", minaret of the former mosque before the latter was "converted" to Catholicism by adding a bell tower on its roof...

The bell tower-minaret "La Giralda" owes its name to the statue proudly brandishing its standard at the very top of the spire, to show the direction of the wind. Giralda means weathervane in Spanish.

The statue is named "The Victorious Faith".

The tower has 24 bells, 18 of which are visible from the outside.

The tower is 104 meters high.

Monumento a la Inmaculada Concepción, located next to the Giralda.

The cathedral. The cultural visit is closed due to the health situation.  

One of the west doors of the cathedral with its curious very realistic statues.

If the cultural visit was not possible, the Great Sacristy was nevertheless authorized for visit.

Back in the narrow streets of the city

With us, oranges are in the stalls. In Andalusia, they are spread in the trees. We are in full season where orange trees (Citrus sinensis) produce their fruits, and here they are not lacking...  

We pass through the Murillo gardens where in 1921 this monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus' ships was erected. His tomb is in Seville Cathedral.

The MetroCentro. Seville has had its tramway since 2007.

Passage in front of one of the Alcazar gates (the Lion Gate) where we will return after lunch after nevertheless having registered online for the visit, covid obliges.

Lunch at the restaurant La hosteria del Laurel.

Digestion will therefore be done with a little walk in the Alcazar where we will be practically alone walking the corridors of the old fortified palace, transformed into a museum.

Maria Christina Ferdinanda of Bourbon, Princess of the Two Sicilies (by Carlos Blanco) and Louis-Philippe (by Franz Xaver Winterhalter).

The Virgin of the Navigators (by Alejo Fernandez).

"In the 13th century, Alfonso X undertook the construction of a first palace, in Gothic style on the site of the Muslim Alcazar. In the following century, Peter I, following the 1356 earthquake which destroyed a large part of Seville, added a splendid Mudéjar style palace. The complex, which preserves few vestiges of the Al-Andalus era, was modified again by Charles V in the 15th century.". © Wikipedia

The Prince's Room.

The patio de las Muñecas (the Courtyard of the Dolls).

The Ambassadors' Hall

The incredible dome of the Ambassadors' Hall

It is under this dome that Charles V and Isabella of Portugal got married on March 10, 1526.

The ceiling of the Infantes room.

Some animals enjoy the outdoors...

An impressive gentleman plays tightrope walker at the top of the Neptune Fountain in the Ladies Garden... Oh yes, it's Neptune himself.

They are everywhere I tell you

The Giralda seen from the Alcazar gardens.

We are on the wall bordering the gardens. The columns probably have the age of the gardens which date back to the Renaissance.

We approach the Mercury pond

"The Grotesque Gallery" which borders the Mercury pond. Why this name? Because of its paintings? Actually no, "the grotesque is originally a style of ornament discovered in the Renaissance... © Wikipedia

The 17th century paintings are by Diego de Esquivel.

And here is Mercury in the middle of his pond.

The grand salon or ballroom.

The lower part of the walls is covered with earthenware in yellow and blue colors.

The tapestry room. Six carpets made in the 1730s relate the conquest of Tunis by Charles V.

The Chapel of St. Clement (1271).

Visit of the Alcazar finished! Little check on the way out, it's good The Giralda is still there!

Here we don't ask questions about pruning...  

San Francisco square

There, a good Sevillian day passed! Tomorrow, we will continue our cultural visit of the city.