Top Tourist Sights in Seville

Art, Architecture, Food and Festivals Draw Tourists to Seville

Oct 15, 2008 Sanjiva Wijesinha

Spain's fourth largest city, capital of Andalucia, birthplace of Roman emperors and inheritor of diverse cultures - Seville is one of Spain's most picturesque cities.

From the 11th to the 13th centuries, this was the leading city of Islamic Spain - and this Moorish heritage is still evident in her buildings, place names and gastronomy. Conveniently sized to be explored on foot, Seville remains the centrepiece of romantic Spain.

Situated on the Guadalquivir river which used to be navigable to the Atlantic Ocean 100 km away, Seville in the 16th century became Spain's puerto y puerta de Indias ("Port and gateway to the Indies") and grew into one of the richest cities in Europe. Fuelled by wealth from the Americas, lavish buildings soon sprang up and artistic geniuses like Murillo, Zurburan and Velazquez found patronage among the wealthy citizens of the city.

Barrio Santa Cruz

A popular place to stay - and eat - is the former Jewish quarter, Barrio Santa Cruz just east of the Cathedral and Alcazar. With its narrow winding streets, majestic homes like "Pilatos House' and quaint buildings with wrought iron windows and potted plants hanging from narrow balconies the Barrio epitomizes medieval Seville. Its small plazas invite the visitor to sit, relax and leisurely watch the world go by.

Cathedral and Giralda

Built on the site where the city mosque stood during Seville's seven centuries of Islamic rule, the huge Gothic cathedral took a hundred years to complete.The minaret of the original mosque, now topped with a belfry and called the Giralda, is a beautiful example of Islamic craftsmanship. Ascent to the top, from where one gets a superb view of the city , is not by stairs but by a series of ramps - built to allow horse-borne riders to ascend! Within the cathedral (the third largest in Christendom) are paintings by masters like Murillo and Zurburan, centuries-old stained glass windows, an intricately carved facade behind the altar with 45 panels containing over a thousand gilded images - and the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

Royal Palace (Real Alcazar)

Buiilt on the ruins of the original Moorish castle (Al-Qasr) by King Alfonso X and later King Pedro of Castille (Pedro the Cruel) , the Alcazar of Seville is a masterpiece of Mudejar craftsmanship. The Mudejars were Muslims who remained but were not converted to Christianity in the former Islamic teritories of Spain after these were conqured by the Christian kings. Mudejar art denotes their unique style of workmanship, strongly influenced by Moorish taste and workmanship, which involves the intricate use of coloured tiles as well as elaborate brickwork and plaster carving.

Museum of Fine Arts (Museo de Bella Artes)

Built in the 17th century, the Museo de Bella Artes / houses some beautiful paintings by artists from Spain's Golden Age. Essential viewing are the sculture of Sant Jerome by Torrigiani, Murillo's Immaculate Conception and Zurburan's Christ on the Cross.

Flamenco dancing

This is the home of Flamenco music - and there is no better place to catch an authentic performance of typical Flamenco music and dancing than in Seville, which continues to represent the quintessence of Spain.

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