Sunday, 2 March 2025

Seville, Spain Day 3: 2nd March 2025

On Sunday the 2nd March 2025 we woke up in our hotel at Ibis Styles Santa Justa, had breakfast and then headed back out into the city. 

We headed along C. Luis Montoto and over onto Calle San Esteban which lead us into Pl. De Pilatos.

Here we pass Casa De Pilatos.

La Casa de Pilatos (Pilate's House) is an Andalusian palace in Seville, Spain, which serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. It is an example of an Italian Renaissance building with Mudéjar elements and decorations. It is considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace.

The Casa de Pilatos has around 150 different azulejo (Spanish glazed tile) designs made in the 1530s by the brothers Diego and Juan Pulido, one of the largest early-modern azulejo collections in the world.


The construction of this palace, which is adorned with precious azulejo tiles and well-kept gardens, was begun in 1483 by Pedro Enríquez de Quiñones, Adelantado Mayor of Andalucía, and his wife Catalina de Rivera, founder of the Casa de Alcalá, and completed by Pedro's son Fadrique Enríquez de Rivera (first Marquis of Tarifa), whose pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1519 led to the building being given the name "Pilate's House".

On 20 October 1520, Don Fadrique returned from a trip through Europe and the Holy Land. During Lent in 1521, he inaugurated the observance in Seville of the Holy Via Crucis (Holy Way of the Cross). The route began in the Chapel of the Flagellations of his palace and ended at a pillar located not far from the Templete, or Cruz del Campo (The Cross of the Field) located outside the city walls. This route ran the same distance of 1321 paces supposed to have separated the praetorium of Pontius Pilate from Calvary. The Marquis's palace, the Palacio de San Andrés, was then still partly under construction; it later became known as the Casa de Pilatos through its association with the Vía Crucis, and was much altered over the next few centuries. Popular imagination has since mistakenly identified the palace as a copy of the house of Pilate; thus the rooms have been named along the theme of the Passion of Christ: "Hall of the Praetorian", "Chapel of the Flagellations", etc. It was declared a National Monument in 1931. The oldest documentation of the name Casa de Pilatos is from 1754.

In the 16th century, under the orders of Pedro Afán de Ribera, viceroy of Naples, the architect Benvenuto Tortello was responsible for rebuilding the palace leaving the old Mudéjar rooms intact.

Several films have been shot in the Casa de Pilatos, including Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, and Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise in 1992, and Kingdom of Heaven in 2005. At the end of 2009, Tom Cruise filmed the movie Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz at the palace.

We walk on entering Plaza De Triunfo again and the sights of the Cathedral.


Walking on we head through the streets full of High Street branded shops and onto C. Adriano where we entered the outskirts of the Seville Bullring.

The Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla is a 12,000-capacity bullring in Seville, Spain. During the annual Seville Fair in Seville, it is the site of one of the most well-known bullfighting festivals in the world. It is a part of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla, a noble guild established for traditional cavalry training.

We paid and entered to have a look about.

The ring itself is considered one of the city's most enjoyable tourist attractions and is certainly one of the most visited. As a stage for bullfighting, it is considered one of the world's most challenging environments because of its history, characteristics, and viewing public, which is considered one of the most unforgiving in all of bullfighting fandom.

Construction began in 1749 of a circular ring on Baratillo Hill to replace the rectangular bullring that was previously located there. In 1761, the construction began to incorporate ochavas (each ochava being equivalent to four arches). At this early stage, the construction supervisors were Francisco Sánchez de Aragón and Pedro y Vicente de San Martín. The inner facade of the plaza (called the Palco del Príncipe or Prince's Box) was completed in 1765. This 'box' consists of two parts: the access gate through which the successful bullfighters exit, and the theater box itself, which is reserved for the exclusive use of the Spanish royal family. The topmost part is composed of four arches over which is built a half-orange vault, whose topmost portion is covered by white and blue tiles. The sculptural group that concludes the composition is the work of the Portuguese sculptor Cayetano de Acosta. The Palco was built for the Infante de España, Felipe de Borbón, son of Felipe V and Isabel de Farnesio.

When Carlos III prohibited bullfighting celebrations in 1786, work on the sculptures was halted, even though only one-third of the plaza had been completed at the time. The old Palco de la Diputación (earlier called the Palco de Ganaderos or Herdsmen's Box) is also from this period and is situated over the toriles gate and in front of the Palco del Príncipe.

After 34 years the cover of the launching slips of half of the ring was finished, to the left and right of the Palco del Príncipe; being easily viewed from the cathedral and the Giralda it was reflected in a great number of stamps of the time. By 1868 the Palco de la Diputación was in such a lamentable state that Italian sculptor Augusto Franchy undertook the improvement himself, building a new area with a marble balustrade and the crest of the Real Maestranza de Caballería. The construction of five balconies to each side of the Palco de la Diputación was also added where the ring's clock is currently situated. The construction of the ring was completed in 1881; two thirds was constructed in stone, with the remainder in wood.

Between 1914 and 1915 the stone grandstands were redone in brick under the direction of Sevillian architect Aníbal González. All the rows were reconstructed with a smoother slope. Ten to twelve rows of shaded seating were constructed as well as fourteen rows in the sun and three rows of barrier. A row of armchairs were built in the superior part of the shaded area, in front of the theatre boxes.

Bullfights in Seville during the Feria de Abril are the most important event of the city's bullfighting calendar. The regular season goes from March or April (depending on the Semana Santa dates) until late September. Every year the Real Maestranza commissions a painter to produce a poster announcing the bullfighting season in its Royal Bullring.

In the Plaza de Toros, there is also the 'Museum of bullfighting' with, among other things, a hall with paintings about bullfighting. The museum displays all kinds of objects that show the history and evolution of bullfighting and toreros in Spain.


From May, the Sevillian bullring becomes one of the main bullfighting quarries, with steer-bullfights every Sunday of the month.

We walked out into the Bullring, the first ever for us and it was huge!

I tried to imagine the vibe and noise the place would have with a stadium full of people. I have added a YouTube video below to show this. Obviously don't watch if you don't like this sort of thing!



Known by fans as the "Cathedral of Bullfighting" and officially known as the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla, alongside Las Ventas in Madrid, the bullring in Seville is one of the most important in Spain and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Seville.


We walked up the steps and sat high up to get a full view of the Bullring. We sat and rested for a while.



Located near the bullfighting arena are several statues of people who were significant in the history of bullfighting, like the toreators Curro Romero, Manolo Vázquez and Maria de las Mercedes from Bourbon-Sicily, the mother of King Juan Carlos.

We left the Bullring crossing the road to get a picture of the exterior.

We walked along the river to walk over to the Triana district to have a look about.
 

We crossed the Bridge (Puente de Isabel II) pictured below to cross over to Triana.

The Isabel II Bridge , popularly known as the Triana Bridge. It connects the city centre with the Triana district , crossing the Guadalquivir River . In the 19th century, it replaced an old pontoon bridge that existed in its place, constituting the oldest preserved iron bridge in Spain. Its construction was completed in 1852, during the reign of Isabel II , which is why it bears this name.




As we cross the bridge there is the beautiful Capilla Virgen del Carmen located next to it.
It was designed by architect Aníbal González and completed in 1928.

This is a small building. It is made of exposed brick and Triana ceramics, the work of Emilio García García, who collaborated on the project with Aníbal González.

The building consists of two sections joined by another rectangular section. One is a low building with a ceramic-covered dome. The dome houses the coat of arms of the Order of Carmen. Above the dome is a small temple with green columns, and within it are sculptures of Saint Justa and Rufina , shielding the Giralda tower . The second section, with an octagonal floor plan, is a taller, slimmer tower resembling a bell tower. Due to its small size, it has been compared to a temple or shrine.
 
We walk along C. San Jacinto and pass many shops.

Seville, particularly the Triana neighbourhood, has a rich history with a significant Romani (Gypsy) population.

We come to Capilla de el señor de las Penas y la Virgen de la Estrella Coronada with a Romani Gypsy begging outside. We decide to have a quick about inside.

The Chapel of the Virgin of the Star in the Triana neighbourhood of Seville. It is the headquarters of the Pontifical, Royal, Illustrious and Fervent Sacramental Brotherhood and Nazarene Confraternity of Our Father Jesus of Sorrows, Most Holy Mary of the Star, Triumph of the Holy Lignum Crucis, Saint Francis of Paula and Saints Justa and Rufina.


We left and walked along through Triana. There seems to be a parade about to happen, huge crowds are lining the roads and Police setting up blocks. Up ahead we could see Real Parroquia de Señora Santa Ana. We decide not to hang about and get out why we still could and we head back the way we came.

The Church of Santa Ana in Seville is a Gothic- style Catholic church declared a Site of Cultural Interest. Construction began in the late 13th century . It is located in the Triana district of Seville and is popularly known as Triana Cathedral.

According to tradition and legend, the creation of the temple and its name, Saint Anne, was decided by King Alfonso X the Wise, to thank the Virgin's mother for her intercession in a miracle that alleviated an eye condition he suffered. The temple's construction has traditionally been said to have begun in 1266, but several dates have always been considered.

In fact, in 1266 the king was neither in Seville nor was he ill, so the historical reality is different, and in fact the king would end up losing his eye due to a tumor in his jaw.

The temple must have begun to be built between the autumn of 1279 and the beginning of 1280, 1 by order of King Alfonso X , taking advantage of his stay in Seville. At the same time that he ordered the construction of the Cuarto del Caracol or Gothic Palace of the Real Alcázar, both constructions maintain architectural similarities.

We end up back on C. San Jacinto and have Churros and Hot Chocolate at Kukochurro. 

I ordered two not realising just how many you get, needless to say we didn't finish them all!

We head back to the bridge stopping to look in the Mercado here.

We head back across the bridge and stop in Plaza Nueva for a drink.

Plaza Nueva (lit. 'New Square') is a public square in the city centre of Seville, Spain, containing the Seville City Hall. The land which the plaza is built on was formerly part of the San Fernando convent from 1270 to 1840. The land was later acquired by the local government and converted into a public square. The plaza was completed in 1856.

We continue on making our way back towards Plaza De Triunfo.


We walk back pass the Cathedral and pop our heads in to see what we could see. I did try and book a visit but it was sold out.



We head back to the hotel for a rest, before heading back out later for Dinner.

We have dinner at Cerveceria Mezquita on C. Sta. Maria la Blanca. I have a Valencia Paella and Mel the lamb.

We then buy tickets to see some Flamenco dancing, has to be done when visiting Seville right?
Anyway we walk in as it had already started 5 minutes before, we sit there and Mel whispers I think this is just Flamenco guitar concert. There is a guy playing and singing, I think oh no but hey we've paid so we watch on.

We were asked not to video and Mel reminds me of this, but hey I've paid so what the hell. One woman got told off for filming but I was sat way back and out of sight!







But at least there was Flamenco dancing in between guitar and singing solos. Mel was trying not to laugh at one point when the guy singing was so sad and looked like he was about to cry when all of a sudden he'd jump up and be jolly again!!




After a fun and amusing Flamenco show we head back to the hotel but stop for cocktails at  Chaman Cocktail bar.


We are now back at the hotel for the night.