My Adventures 3: Seville

On Saturday the 1st of March 2025 we woke up and had breakfast at the Ibis Styles Santa Justa hotel, before we walked back into the city.

We walked through Jardines de Murillo.

The Monument to the Four hundredth Anniversary of the Discovery is also known as the Monument to Columbus or the fountain of the lion and it is located in the centre of the Jardines de Murillo gardens. The architectural design was by the Sevillian architect Juan Talavera y Heredia and the sculptures of the lion and the bust of Columbus were by Lorenzo Coullaurt Valera. It was built by popular subscription and inaugurated in 1921.

It is 23 metres high and consists of a base and two columns made of stone. Between the columns there are two bronze prows of caravels, with two signs, one on each side, with the names of Isabel and Fernando. On the base of the columns there are two marble medallions, one on each side, with a bust of Columbus and the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs. On the upper part there is a lion holding up a globe.

Located alongside the Barrio de Santa Cruz in Seville and with an extension of about one hectare, the Murillo Gardens are part of a land transfer located to the north west of the Retiro Gardens belonging to the Fortress. The gardens were designed by Juan Talavera y Heredia, a few years before the Promenade.

Gridded pathways with hedges and paving stones run through the Murillo Gardens, and where they meet there are octagonal plazas with central fountains and tile-covered bench seats. The resulting parterres are covered with a dense mass of vegetation giving the enclosure an intimate atmosphere.

It was Baldomero Laguillo Bonilla, a lawyer and town councillor, who proposed the name of Murillo Gardens, since they are near the house where the famous painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was born.

The open spaces feature a plaza dedicated to the painter José García Ramos, with tiled panels recreating famous works by this artist made by other artists from the same circle as the master, such as Miguel Ángel del Pino Sardá, Santiago Martínez Martín, Alfonso Grosso Sánchez, Manuel Vigil, and Diego López.

The vegetation features two huge rubber plants sheltering orange trees, celestines (Plumbago auriculata) and a magnolia tree (Magnolia grandiflora). Where the gardens border with the Barrio de Santa Cruz, you pass through two plazas with different species such as pittosporums (Pittosporum tobira), Canary Island palms (Phoenix canariensis), Washington palms, golden daisy bushes, laurestines, robinias, espireas, privets and on the wall separating the garden from the Fortress, a Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). In the plaza dedicated to the painter, you'll find English dogwoods, Malabar nuts (Justicia adhatoda), thujas, sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica), a honeysuckle, a viburnum, one mahonia (Mahonia japonica) with yellow flowers and several more species leading us towards the Plaza de Refinadores. On the way, honeysuckle, and once there common marsh-mallows, hackberries, palms, Japanese pagoda trees, privets and a one robinia, accompanied in the summer by the sweet fragrance of jasmine and honeysuckle which make this place, presided over by the eternal character of Zorrilla, one of the most classic little corners in Seville.

We pass Rosina's Balcony. According to legend, this corner balcony of a charming building inspired the The Barber of Seville.

We make our way back to Plaza De Triunfo as we have tickets to visit the Real Alcazar today.

Spot the cat

We enter Plaza De Triunfo and have views back across to the amazing Seville Cathedral.

We queue for our entry time and we eventually make our way into the Real Alcazar.

Patio De Leon

The Puerta del León (Gate of the Lion), located in the outer wall of the complex, is the main access to the enclosure. Between the lintel of this gate and under a machicolation there was a painting of a lion, whose origin is unknown, although it appears in the drawings made by Richard Ford in 1832. Until 1876 the medieval painting of the lion with the cross had been preserved, but that year, Joaquín Domínguez Bécquer being the director of the painting and gilding of the whole and being probably in very bad condition, he repainted it completely. In 1892 this painting was replaced by a panel of azulejo designed by Manuel Tortosa y Fernández, with the historical advice of José Gestoso. The azulejo was made in the Mensaque factory and also represents a lion, in Gothic style, which appears holding a crucifix with its right claw and with a flag under its left claw. On the chest there is a tefillin reading in Latin Ad utrumque, which means "for one thing and for another", the word 'paratus' would be missing; Ad utrumque paratus, thus meaning "prepared for one thing and for another".

The current name "Puerta del León" dates to the 19th century and derives from the heraldic lion in this panel of tilework above the gateway and under a defensive machicolation. Historically, this gate had been known as Puerta de la Montería (Gate of the Hunt). According to Ortiz de Zúñiga (17th century) it was so called because it was where the king Peter went out with his hunters to go hunting. This hypothesis has a basis, since the father of Peter, Alfonso XI of Castile, was so fond of hunting that he wrote a book on hunting. According to José Gestoso, the name was due to the fact that it was decorated with hunting reliefs. On the left side of the arch there are reliefs of two very worn poly-lobed medallions. One of them shows something similar to a quadruped animal.

After passing through the gate, one enters the Patio del León. At the back of the courtyard facing the entrance is a stretch of Almohad defensive wall pierced by three arches. This wall has a masonry facade but the back shows unfaced rubble. The two outer arches were originally horseshoe arches but in Christian times they were transformed into round arches by cutting through the inposts. Plays from the Spanish Golden Age were performed in a theatre, the Corral de Montería (Enclosure of the Hunt), that once stood here. It was begun in 1625 but was destroyed in a fire on 3 May 1691. Behind the stretch of wall is the Patio de la Montería, which fronts the Palacio del Rey Don Pedro.

We start using the audio guide on our phones but after a while we gave up as it wasn't clear what direction to walk in.

Sala de Justicia

The Sala de Justicia (courtroom of Justice) is accessed through the Patio del León.

It has a square floor plan, is Mudéjar in style and was built in the reign of Alfonso XI of Castile. It is a square room with an artesonado (qubba). In it there is a shield of the Order of the Band, created by Alfonso XI around 1340. The room would have been built in 1340. However, although the room was dated in the reign of Alfonso XI thanks, among other details, to this shield, the shield of that order also appears in other parts of the palace decorated in the reign of his son, Peter. It is similar to the Sala de Comares of the Alhambra. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was known as the Sala de los Consejos. It is most likely that it was an Almohad room used to gather a council (maswar) and that it was reformed with Mudéjar art by the Christians, who continued to use it for the same purpose. This was probably the room where the court presided by Peter was located, although there are other hypotheses about its possible location. In this court there were three brick steps with a stone throne, although this structure was demolished before the visit of Philip II in 1570. This action displeased Philip II, who was a great admirer of King Don Peter and who was the first to indicate that he should be called "the Avenger".

In the centre of the hall is a fountain with a shallow drain down to the Patio del Yeso, and round the walls are brick and tile benches.

Towards 1150, the Almohad Caliphs began to develop Seville as their capital in Al-Andalus. The Almohad governor extended the fortified complex to the west, nearly doubling its size. At least six new courtyard palaces were constructed in the old enclosures and nine palaces were added in the western extensions. In 1163 the caliph Abu Ya'qub Yusuf made the Alcazar his main residence in the region. He further expanded and embellished the palace complex in 1169, adding six new enclosures to the north, south, and west sides of the existing palaces. The works were carried out by architects Ahmad ibn Baso and 'Ali al-Ghumari. With the exception of the walls, nearly all previous buildings were demolished, and a total of approximately twelve palaces were built. Among the new structures was a very large garden courtyard, now known as the Patio del Crucero, which stood in the old Abbadid enclosure. Between 1171 and 1198 an enormous new congregational mosque was built on the north side of the Alcazar (later transformed into the current Cathedral of Seville). A shipyard was also built nearby in 1184 and a textiles market in 1196.

Patio de la Montería courtyard

Patio de la Montería (Courtyard of the Hunt). This is the main courtyard, and was built when Palace of Peter was built in 1364, and is presided over by the door of the palace of Peter. In the walls there are semicircular arches that were walled up in the 15th century.

To the right are the rooms of the Casa de Contratación, who built in 1503 and there met the merchants who made contracts there when there was a boom in trade from Seville with Spanish America and the Philippines. The Casa de Contratación has a porticoed gallery from the 17th century made by Antón Sánchez Hurtado, the eastern side of the Casa de Contratación was built by the Belgian architect Sebastian Van der Borcht in 1755, after the Lisbon earthquake.

Halls faces the square courtyard, its area was occupied by a Almohad sunken garden at a level of 1.5 meters beneath the halls, it had two walkways, and had a channel to irrigate the garden. In 1997, other Alhomad palace was discovered beneath the Patio de la Montería, the building was built around 1150, it was demolished in 1356 for the construction of the Palace of Peter of Castile.

There are few remnants of these Islamic-era constructions today. Archaeological remains of the Al Mubarak Palace are currently preserved under Patio de la Monteria. Several wall painting fragments were found that are now exhibited in the Palacio del Yeso. The courtyard buildings now known as the Palacio del Yeso (or Patio del Yeso), the Palacio de la Contratación, and the Patio del Crucero all preserve remains from the Almohad period.

The "Cuarto del Almirante" (Admiral's Room) is a significant hall within the Real Alcázar of Seville, Spain, that served as the headquarters of the Casa de Contratación, a body that regulated trade with the Americas after their discovery, and is now used for conferences and social events.

The Spanish Empire was ruled from this building for two centuries, from soon after the discovery of the New World in the early 16th century, until Cadiz became the main naval and trading port in 1717.

The House of Trade managed and controlled maritime transport and trade between Spain and the Colonies: this was the headquarters where voyages were planned, crews assembled, contracts signed, and navigational maps and charts drawn up. It was founded in 1503 by Isabella La Católica. This was where Isabella received Columbus after his second voyage, and where the expedition of Magellan was planned.

The façade has an Italianate Renaissance gallery of brick arches and marble columns.

This part of the palace consists of the Chapter House/Navigators’ Chapel, the Fan Room, and the Military Chamber.

The Cuarto del Almirante (Admiral’s Room) is the largest, and is named for Columbus.

You can see a number of paintings, including portraits of Spanish royalty and aristocracy – the Dukes of Montpensier, Antonio de Orleans and Luisa Fernanda de Borbon, who lived in the Palacio San Telmo. Pride of place is taken by a painting depicting King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia (who was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter) at the Ibero-Americano Expo 1929 in Seville.

In the Chapter House (also known as the Sala de Audiencias), the altarpiece’s central panel draws the attention. The celebrated painting, of the Virgen de los Navigantes (Virgin of the Navigators), is by Alejo Fernandez from around 1536. Sailors would pray to this virgin before setting out on their voyages.

The Virgin is spreading her mantle protectively over a number of figures including Columbus (grey hair, extreme left of picture), Carlos V (in red cloak), Ferdinand the Catholic, Amerigo Vespuccio, and the Pinzon brothers, who captained two of Columbus’ ships.

This painting was the first religious work dedicated to the discovery of America. Behind, to the Virgin’s left, are indigenous figures, converted to Christianity. The image emphasises the idea that the voyages to the “Indies” had a religious motive – to spread the word of God.

You can also see different types of ships from the Spanish fleet which participated in the expeditions.

It is surrounded by four additional panels including Santiago the Great beheading Moors, San Telmo (St Elmo, patron saint of sailors) protecting a ship, St Sebastian, and St John the Baptist.

The Alcázar of Seville, officially called Royal Alcázar of Seville (Spanish: Real Alcázar de Sevilla or Reales Alcázares de Sevilla), is a historic royal palace in Seville, Spain. It was formerly the site of the Islamic-era citadel of the city, begun in the 10th century and then developed into a larger palace complex by the Abbadid dynasty (11th century) and the Almohads (12th to early 13th centuries). After the Castilian conquest of the city in 1248, the site was progressively rebuilt and replaced by new palaces and gardens. Among the most important of these is a richly-decorated Mudéjar-style palace built by Pedro I during the 1360s.

The palace is a preeminent example of Mudéjar style in the Iberian Peninsula and also includes sections with Gothic and Renaissance elements. The upper stories of the Alcázar are still occupied by the royal family when they visit Seville and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

The Spanish term Alcázar comes from the Arabic al-qaṣr (اَلْقَصْر; meaning "the castle" or "the palace"), itself derived from the Latin castrum ("castle").

Seville was conquered in 1248 by Ferdinand III of Castile. The former Moorish palace-citadel was taken over by the Castilian monarchs and underwent significant reconstruction and modification, such that most of the Islamic-era structure has since disappeared.

Patio de las Doncellas

The name, meaning "The Courtyard of the Maidens", is a reference to the apocryphal story that the Muslim rulers demanded an annual tribute of 100 virgins from the Christian kingdoms of Iberia.

The courtyard was part of the Mudéjar palace built by Pedro I in the 1360s. The ground level of the building still dates to this period and contains Arabic inscriptions that refer to Pedro I as "Sultan Don Bidru". The upper story of the courtyard was an addition made by Charles V. The addition was designed by Luis de Vega in the style of the Italian Renaissance although he did include both Renaissance and mudéjar plaster work in the decorations. Construction of the addition began in 1540 and ended in 1572.

At ground level, several reception rooms are arranged around a long rectangular reflecting pool that runs the entire length of the patio, creating a water line. This pool is surrounded by promenades covered with a red brick pavement decorated with green ceramic borders, similar to the pavement that adorns the perimeter of the garden. The pool and its promenades are bordered by two flowerbeds located one meter beneath the pavement whose sides are decorated with a frieze of interlaced semi-circular arches.

The current appearance of the courtyard garden is the result of a reconstruction carried out in the 21st century following the excavations carried out between 2002 and 2005 by a team of archaeologists led by Miguel Ángel Tabales. The garden and the pool, built between 1356 and 1366, were buried between 1581 and 1584 when the courtyard was paved by Juan Bautista de Zumárraga with a white and black marble pavement and an alabaster fountain in the centre. The patio maintained this appearance until its original structure was discovered and the hidden garden was uncovered after the 2002–2005 excavations, which revealed the good state of conservation of the area under the patio. The ancient Mudejar garden was restored after being hidden for centuries under a marble floor.

In the year 712, Seville was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate. In the year 913–914, after a revolt against Cordoba's government, the first caliph of Al-Andalus Abd al-Rahman III built a fortified construction in place of a Visigothic Christian basilica. It was a quadrangular, roughly square enclosure about 100 meters long on each side, fortified with walls and rectangular towers, and annexed to the city walls. In the 11th century, during the Taifa period, the Abbadid king Al-Mu'tamid expanded the complex southwards and eastwards, with a new southern enclosure measuring approximately 70 by 80 meters. This new palace was called Al Mubarak (Arabic: المبارك). Various additions to the construction such as stables and warehouses were also carried out.

Salón de los Embajadores

The Hall of the Ambassadors (Salon de los Embajadores) dates from the 14th century, when Pedro I of Castile made it a centrepiece of his new royal palace. One hypothesis states that Pedro reused and remodelled a much older hall, known as the Hall of the Pleiades, built by the Abbadid ruler al-Mu'tamid, but this theory has not been widely accepted.

The hall has a square shape and is covered by a dome, analogical to the qubba-type structures of Islamic architecture. During Pedro's construction, the orientation of the hall was changed from facing Mecca (to the east) to the northeast, where it opens to the Patio de las Doncellas through a central doorway. At the middle of each of the other three sides of the hall is a central doorway consisting of a triple horseshoe arch supported by marble columns. Each of the triple arches is enclosed by a decorative rectangular frame (alfiz), which in turn is enclosed by a semi-circular frame within a larger rectangular frame. Beyond each of these archways is a wide rectangular room, leading in turn to other rooms. The lower walls of the Hall of Ambassadors are decorated with a dado of tiles, while the walls above are decorated with rich plasterwork. A row of windows with delicate stucco grilles runs along the top of the walls, below the dome.

The hall's decoration was finished in 1366, as recorded by an Arabic inscription on a set of wooden doors that was made by artisans from Toledo. The current dome over the hall was rebuilt in 1427 to replace the original dome. The balconies in the upper walls were added in the 16th century. In 1526, Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal celebrated their marriage in this room.

A Gothic-style palace was built on the site in 1258 for Alfonso X (Ferdinand's successor). It stood on the site of the present-day Patio del Crucero, incorporating and preserving parts of the Almohad-era courtyard that was found here, including the Islamic-style garden divided into quadrants by two intersecting paths. Over these paths and around the courtyard, Gothic-style vaults and pointed arches were added, along with a hall divided into several naves. Corners towers containing spiral staircases granted access to an upper terrace. Of the Gothic palace today, only the upstairs Sala de las Bóvedas and the Baños de María de Padilla, with their Gothic cross-ribbed vaults, have been preserved or partially preserved.

Dome ceiling in the Hall of Ambassadors.

In the mid-14th century, Alfonso XI commissioned the construction of a new throne hall known as the Hall of Justice, which commemorated his victory at the Battle of Río Salado (1340). It is attached to the Patio del Yeso, an Almohad-era courtyard, and also serves as its antechamber. This new addition was made in a Mudéjar style, with stucco decoration and an overall arrangement of elements directly based on contemporary Islamic Andalusi architecture.

In the 1360s, much of the complex was rebuilt by Pedro I in an ornate Mudéjar style. The palace includes a monumental façade, a courtyard (the present-day Patio de las Doncellas), and a great domed hall known as the Hall of the Ambassadors (Salon de los Embajadores). A Latin inscription on the palace façade includes the year 1364 while an Arabic inscription in the Hall of Ambassadors gives the year 1366, which indicate the probable dates for the start and completion of construction, respectively. The architecture of Pedro I's palace has strong similarities to the contemporary Nasrid palaces of the Alhambra in Granada, although the complicated chronology of construction and renovations at both sites makes it difficult to determine what roles they might have played in influencing each other's designs. It is likely that Muhammad V, the Nasrid ruler of Granada and Pedro I's ally, sent craftsmen to Seville to help assist in the palace's construction and decoration. Under the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella (d. 1504) and Fernando (d. 1516), the upper floor of the palace was extended and transformed into their main residence.

The palace was the birthplace of Infanta Maria Antonietta of Spain (1729–1785), daughter of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese, when the king was in the city to oversee the signing of the Treaty of Seville (1729) which ended the Anglo-Spanish War (1727). Much of the old Gothic Palace of Alfonso X was destroyed during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

All the palaces of Al Andalus had garden orchards with fruit trees, horticultural produce and a wide variety of fragrant flowers. The garden-orchards not only supplied food for the palace residents but had the aesthetic function of bringing pleasure. Water was ever present in the form of irrigation channels, runnels, jets, ponds and pools.

The gardens adjoining the Alcázar of Seville have undergone many changes. In the 17th century during the reign of Philip III the Italian designer Vermondo Resta introduced the Italian Mannerist style. Resta was responsible for the Galeria de Grutesco (Grotto Gallery) transforming the old Muslim wall into a loggia from which to admire the view of the palace gardens.

In 1962 the Alcázar was used as a set for Lawrence of Arabia.

The Alcázar was used as the set for the court of the King of Jerusalem in the 2005 movie Kingdom of Heaven.

Part of the fifth season of Game of Thrones was shot in several locations in the province of Seville, including the Alcázar.

The gardens really are beautiful and tranquil and even more so in the sun, a big improvement on yesterdays weather.

From a botanical point of view, the gardens have some 20,000 plants with at least 187 different species.

The gardens also account for at least 40% of the landscaped spaces in Seville's Historic centre.

These oasis like gardens reflected the writings of the Koran, in which paradise is often compared to a garden.

Under Islamic rule, a large part of the Royal Alcazar was used as kitchen gardens and farmyards.

In a large room of the Alcazar of Seville there are a series of 6 huge tapestries of almost 40 square meters. Five of them represent scenes of a war, but the sixth is different, it shows a strange map of the European continent and North Africa with the peculiarity that everything is upside down, north to south, east to west and vice versa. On one side there is a venerable old man with a white beard who carries a compass in his hand, he is the map designer, the Flemish Jan Vermeyen, with the other hand he is holding a sign written in old Spanish where we read how to understand this strange map since the cartographer knew that it would not be easy at first sight.

The map is framed between two large columns with the symbols of Emperor Charles V, the columns of Hercules with the legend Plus Ultra and the two-headed black eagle of the Habsburgs. In the upper part there is an inscription in Spanish, in the lower one more in Latin, the international language of the time. The tapestry collection and its original map tell us about the military expedition to Tunisia in 1535 that Emperor Charles V undertook against his enemy Suleiman, nicknamed the Magnificent.

The gardens of the Real Alcázar Palace make up one of the great palace sites of the Spanish crown, and possibly the oldest. They are the most original representation of a truly Hispanic style – the Mudejar – a Muslim artistic expression adapted to the Christian world. From their Moorish origins, they underwent continual transformations, especially during the Renaissance period and the reign of Philip III. The results are seen in the delicate pavilion of Charles V in the Alcoba vegetable garden, the wonderful Grutesco Gallery and many gardens, such as La Danza, Las Damas, Las Galeras and El Rústico. The materials used, such as tiles, and many features, water channels, fountains, water spouts, etc. give them with a special Moorish character.

We stop for a coffee here on the Alcazar and sit outside enjoying the views and the sunshine.

We leave the Real Alcazar and head back out into Plaza De Triunfo.

We walk around the Cathedral and pass Bumblebee from the Transformers.

We walk down an alleyway and into Place del Cabildo.

This small, little-known square is located close to the Cathedral. It is worth visiting for the beautiful painted arches in a semi-circular colonnade, with a small section of the city's original Moorish wall forming the straight part. It has a fountain and palm trees, and is a pleasant place to escape from the crowds.

It was built on the site of Colegio de San Miguel, which belonged to the Cathedral Cabildo (Council). Some of the pillars are from the school's patio.

The section of crenelated wall, known as muralla in Spanish, dates from 1184, and was built by the Almohads, shortly before the Giralda (in 1198).

The shady semi-circular plaza has several shops, including Dulces El Torno which sells food products made by nuns for which Seville is famous. They include yemas (egg-yolk sweets) from Convento Santa Clara and Convento San Leandro, and jam from Convento Santa Paula, as well as pestiños, chocolates and marzipan. There is also a souvenir shop and an antique store.

On Sunday mornings, a long standing market in the plaza has stalls selling stamps, coins, military insignia and other collectibles, as well as archaeological pieces and minerals.

We make our way down to the river to try and see the Tirana district.

We cross Pasarela de la Cartuja and we walk along the other bank. We reach Centro Comercial TORRE SEVILLA, a shopping centre. We stop to eat at Starbucks and Mel has had enough walking for today and is in pain with her back. So we jump a bus back towards the hotel.

We get off the bus and walk to the Cruzcampo Brewery, sadly the taproom is closed until the day we fly home :(

In the summer of 1904, brothers Tomás and Roberto Osborne decided to pursue a dream: To create a beer that would be perfect for the warm southern climate; a beer tailed for Andalucians that could be enjoyed at a very low temperature, whilst maintaining its flavour and aroma.

They left their family business and their native Puerto de Santa María to find their own brewery in Sevilla, Nervión.

They chose Sevilla and the Guadalquivir River for its high-quality water, similar to the Pilsen River (The iconic brewery).

We walk on to visit the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, home to Sevilla FC.

The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán; [esˈtaðjo raˈmon ˈsantʃeθ piθˈxwan]) is a football stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Sevilla, and is named after the club's former president, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (1900–1956).

It was the venue for the 1986 European Cup Final between Steaua București and Barcelona and the 1982 World Cup semi-final game between West Germany and France. It was also the venue for the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.

With a capacity of 42,714 seats, Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán is the ninth-largest stadium in Spain and the third-largest in Andalusia.

The President of Sevilla at the time, El Barón de Gracia Real, Juan Domínguez Osborne, had the responsibility to surround himself with a group of people who would help him succeed his future mandates. Within this group was Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán himself and the effective Juan López García, who was presiding over the Seville club at a time when it had to overcome several important problems. Without a doubt, his main goal was achieved when he provided the club with land that would later be historic for the entity. Due to an urban imposition, Sevilla was forced to leave the 'Campo de la Victoria', after which the president, in an important management decision, acquired a plot of land from the land Nervión that was also owned by his friend Pablo Armero (Marqués del Nervión). Juan Domínguez, knowing that the club was not in economic conditions to assume said acquisition, did not hesitate to pay out of his po, the Baron indicated to his board secretary, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, that once the matches were over, field staff, players, and coaching staff would be paid. Of the surplus, he took a certain percentage, leaving the same to reserve for unforeseen events that might have arisen. This way he reduced the debt, but slowly. When his term ended in 1932, Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan felt that the payment strategy would not vary and that the amortisation of the payments for the land and stadium would not vary one iota. Juan Domínguez married Doña María Manjón and the Domínguez Manjón marriage was so heavily influenced by Sevilla that when the Baron died prematurely at the age of 53, they considered the debt that the Club still owed them forgiven, with the argument that her husband would have wanted it that way. Another one of the challenges for Barón de Gracia Real was to get his club to play in the First Division. Luck was elusive and despite the fact that each year the team gained new and important players, the long-awaited promotion did not arrive until a season later. In the first directive he had various companions that included Luis Ibarra, Eladio Rodríguez de la Borbolla, M. Amores, Luís Nieves, Juan Reimana, Eduardo Silvestre and Federico Maquedano who acted as treasurer.

During his time as president of Sevilla, he had numerous directors on his staff. Bernardo de los Ríos, Armando Soto el Illana, José Luís Isern Rivera, Nicolás Carretero, Joaquín García de Tejada, Manuel Gayan, José Luís Buiza, Federico Flores, José Manuel Puelles de los Santos, Ramón López Romero and mainly Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, the only one that missed the season 1928–1929, during a time in which the once great president of Seville held the position of President of the South Regional Federation. Eugenio Eizaguirre Pozzi, Francisco Toledo, Álvarez Rementería, Juan López García (Juanito Balompedico) Manuel Ríos Sarmiento, Carlos Piñar and Pickman, Antonio Calderón Hernández, Francisco Cárdenas, Antonio Alonso, Eduardo de la Matta, José Romero and even the incombustible Antonio Sánchez Ramos, the popular "uncle of the cigar". During his tenure, players such as: Guillermo Campanal, Ventolrá, Padrón, Deva, Abad, Adelantado, Arroyo, the Canarian Castro, Gual or the Huelva-born Bracero were signed. The Barón left a long descendant, almost all of them lived in the city and maintained a loyalty to the colours that their ancestors defended. A few years later his stepbrother D. Jerónimo Domínguez y Pérez de Vargas (Marqués de Contadero) also became president of Sevilla. After the death of Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, who purchased the currently-rented land for the future stadium in 1937, it was his successor Ramón de Carranza, who laid the first stone of the same on 2 December 1956, replacing the ancient Nervión Stadium.

It was inaugurated on 7 September 1958 with a friendly match Sevilla – Jaén (3–3). However, it was not until 1974, when Eugenio Montes Cabeza was president, that the works were concluded, reaching its maximum historical capacity with more than 77,000 spectators. Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán was opened in 1958 as an all-stand stadium with a capacity of 70,329 spectators, replacing the Estadio de Nervión. Its capacity was reduced to 68,110 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. It was further reduced to its current capacity of 42,714 seats when it was refurbished and transformed into an all-seater stadium during the mid-1990s.

The stadium is nicknamed "La Bombonera" more commonly used to refer to Estadio Alberto J. Armando, the home stadium of Boca Juniors) or "La Bombonera de Nervión" due to the Nervión neighbourhood where the stadium is situated.

This stadium contains a singular legend: the Spain national team has never lost a game against an international team in this stadium.

We had to do the Hammers sign outside the stadium in honour of my team West Ham knocking Sevilla out of the Europa Conference cup the year we won it in 2023.

In May 2018, the club announced an expansion project for the stadium that will eventually increase its seating capacity up to 47,000.