Category Archives: Churches and Convents

All the churches, chapels, convents and monasteries in the city fo Seville. We include a description with the artiscal values and a review thorugh their history.

CHURCH OF SAN ALBERTO

by

The church of San Alberto is the temple of the convent of the same name, which currently houses the Congregation of the Oratory of San Felipe Neri (Philippian fathers). It is a church with a single nave built in the first half of the 17th century, but with profound reforms in the following centuries.

History

The convent originally belonged to the order of the Carmelites, who founded the convent of San Alberto in 1602 as a center of higher education. The church was not consecrated until 1626 and work continued for a few more years, with the completion of the main chapel in 1640.

The convent and the church suffered considerably during the French occupation (1810-1812), when the complex was transformed into a barracks for Napoleonic troops. A good part of its artistic heritage was then lost.

After the war, the Carmelites would return to the convent, although it would not be for long. After the Confiscation of Mendizábal (1636) they were forced to abandon it. From that moment on, it went through various uses, such as the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Good Letters or a secondary school. Finally, it was acquired by the Philippian fathers at the end of the 19th century.

A dispute then began with the Carmelites, former owners of the property, who defended their right to return to it. Finally, through the intermediation of Cardinal Spínola, the Carmelites settled in the old Buen Suceso hospital, where they remain today. To seal the peace, the Philippians had to give them some artistic works of special relevance that were originally in this church and that are today found in Buen Suceso. We can cite the magnificent “Saint Anne presenting the Virgin in the Temple”, by Martínez Montañés, or the carvings of “Saint Albert” and “Saint Teresa”, by Alonso Cano.

Description

The church responds to a late-mannerist model that we found on other occasions in Seville. It has a rectangular floor plan and a single, large nave. It is divided into five sections by large buttresses. Between them a series of side chapels-niches open, over which a tribune runs.

The covering is done by lowered vaults with lunettes and transverse arches. Especially interesting is the elliptical dome that covers the transept. It sits on pendentives and eight oculi open in it, giving it luminosity.

The presbytery is slightly elevated with respect to the rest of the church and at the foot of the temple is the high choir, also sitting on a lowered vault with lunettes.

Outside

Access to the church is through a simple mannerist door open at the foot of the right wall. It is a work with very simple lines that has been related to the architect Diego López Bueno. Above the door there is a split pediment with a niche in the center. The sculpture represents Saint Albert and was carved in 1626 by Alonso Álvares de Albarrán, a disciple of Martínez Montañés. It has some remains of polychrome, but it probably comes from some restoration in the 19th century.

In a curious chamfer on the left side of the façade there is an open chapel with two sections. The first and largest is dedicated to the Virgin of Carmen, while the upper one houses a tile of the Virgin of Perpetual Help. To the right of the doorway we find another ceramic altarpiece, this time reproducing the carving of San Felipe Neri that is found inside the church. Fernando Orce painted it for the Pedro Navia factory in Triana around 1955.

Although it is difficult to see from the façade, the church has a bell tower visible from the surrounding streets. It presents the usual tile decoration of the Sevillian bell towers and is dated 1739. It is very likely that the tower is earlier and that this date corresponds to a major renovation that had to be undertaken after it was badly damaged in 1736 when it fell on it. a ray.

Inside

The main altarpiece is neoclassical in style and was made to replace a previous baroque style altarpiece destroyed during the French occupation. In its large central niche, there is a Crucified figure that reproduces the Christ of Clemency by Martínez Montañés. It was made in 1791 by a sculptor named Ángel Iglesias, of whom no other works are known.

At the foot of the Cross there is an anonymous 18th century Dolorosa dress. It is of notable quality and it has been pointed out that it could be the painful primitive of the Brotherhood of the True Cross (Manuel Jesús Roldán, “Iglesias de Sevilla”).

In the side streets are Santa María Magdalena and Santa María Egipciaca, interesting works by Duque Cornejo (18th century). In the attic we find anonymous sculptures dating from the same period as the altarpiece. In the center, a group represents “The Apotheosis of Saint Albert”, and on the sides are Saint Elias and Saint Teresa.

In the presbytery area, the lamp angels are also interesting, made in the 18th century by Cayetano de Acosta, one of the most prominent sculptors of this century in Seville.

The rest of the altarpieces are neoclassical, from the 19th century, and are not of considerable quality. Some of them can be mentioned because they have some aspect of interest:

- Altarpiece of the Virgin of Valvanera. In its central niche it houses an interesting image from the early 19th century that reproduces the Virgin of Valvanera, patron saint of La Rioja. It is flanked on the side streets by Blesseds Antonio Gassi and Juan de Ávila. In the attic there is a painting with "The Breastfeeding of Saint Bernard", anonymous from the 18th century, which reflects the medieval tradition according to which the Virgin Mary appeared to the saint to grant him the gift of eloquence by giving him to drink her own breast milk. she. On both sides are two saints, presumably Carmelites, but not identified.

- Altarpiece of San José. Located next to the previous one on the left side of the church. The only notable thing is the central carving that represents Saint Joseph with the baby Jesus in his arms. Saint Joseph has traditionally been one of the favorite devotions of the Carmelites. Here we find it in a carving made by the Sevillian sculptor Cristóbal Ramos around 1782. It is worth highlighting the moving delicacy with which Saint Joseph rests his cheek on the head of the Child.

- Altarpiece of San Antonio. It is located in one of the niches on the Gospel side (left). The altarpiece and the central carving do not present much interest from an artistic point of view, but the five paintings that decorate it are worth highlighting. They represent the Four Evangelists in the side streets and “The Coronation of the Virgin” in the attic. Historically they were attributed to Francisco Pacheco, but today they are considered works of Juan del Castillo from around 1632.

- Altarpiece of San Felipe Neri. Located on the right side of the transept, in front of the altarpiece of the Virgin of Valvanera. Its interest lies in the carving of the saint that occupies the central niche. It is a work of great quality that was sometimes linked to the production of Pedro Roldán. Today it is considered more of a work by Duque Cornejo, based on an attribution made by Manuel García Luque, which dates it to the beginning of the 18th century.

- Nativity altarpiece. It is located next to that of San Felipe Neri, on the Epistle side. Of particular note is the sculptural ensemble of the Nativity located in the central niche, dating back to the 18th century. On the sides are San Joaquín and Santa Ana. Both appear to be from the 17th century, although apparently they were not made together, since the figure of San Joaquín is somewhat smaller.

The rest of the altarpieces are interesting for their devotional value rather than their artistic value. They are dedicated to such popular devotions as the Sacred Heart, the Virgin of Perpetual Help or Saint Joseph.

CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR

by

The Church of the Divine Savior of Seville is the second largest temple in the city, only after the Cathedral. It is one of the great architectural jewels of the city and inside it houses a magnificent sculpture collection, with works by the most prominent authors of the Sevillian baroque. As a result of its long and complex history, a huge and majestic temple with three naves has been created. The transept stands out noticeably in height over the rest, although it is not perceptible in the floor plan of the building, which is called a living room.

History

We know that in the space it occupies today was the so-called mosque of Ibn Adabbas, created around 830 as the aljama or main mosque of the city. It held this rank until the new great mosque was built in the 12th century, on the site now occupied by the Cathedral.

Some elements of the mosque that was located in El Salvador have been preserved, such as part of its patio and the beginning of its minaret, which corresponds to the lower part of the tower that we find at the northern end, on Córdoba Street.

Once the city was conquered by the Christians in 1248, the mosque was used as a church, although maintaining the essentials of its structure. It remained this way for centuries, with the architectural characteristics of an Islamic temple but serving for Christian worship, as continues to happen today, for example, with the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.

However, when the 17th century arrived, it seems that its condition was quite ruinous and it was decided to build a new temple. Work began around 1674, but when the vaults were being closed, a resounding collapse occurred that forced a good part of the project to be rethought.

Leonardo de Figueroa, the best architect of the Sevillian baroque, who also intervened in other projects such as San Luis de los Franceses or La Magdalena, was eventually entrusted with directing the works. In this case, Figueroa was in charge of closing the vaults, building the large dome and finishing the interior of the building. The works were not completed until 1712.

Outside

Courtyard and Tower

Today you can see some remains of the old mosque in the current Patio de los Naranjos, where some of the columns that surrounded the primitive ablution patio are preserved in situ. Some of them have Roman and Visigoth origin, and their depth makes it clear that the height of the mosque was much lower than that of the current church.

The base of the bell tower, between the patio and Córdoba Street, was also the original minaret of the mosque, completely altered on its upper floors by successive renovations. The upper part that we can see today was added by Leonardo de Figueroa at the end of the 17th century.

Capilla de los Desamparados

At the western end of the patio is the Chapel of Cristo de los Desamparados, a small rectangular temple that was built in the mid-18th century, under the direction of one of Leonardo Figueroa's sons, Matías or Ambrosio. Sources differ in this regard.

The interior is covered by two elliptical vaults, the one closest to the main altar being crowned by a lantern. Its walls are profusely decorated with baroque mural paintings and a series of niches open on the sides as side altars. In one of them is located the Virgen del Prado, a dress image made by the image maker Sebastián Santos in 1949, who is the owner of his own brotherhood of glory.

The main altarpiece is occupied by the image of the Cristo de los Desamparados, owner of the chapel, a crucified by an anonymous author that has been dating back to the 16th century.

Church Facade

As for the church itself, the main façade has very classic baroque lines and Italian influence, close to Renaissance forms. The succession of stone pilasters and reddish brick panels achieve the classic bichrome that is so characteristic of many Sevillian buildings since the Lonja, today the Archive of the Indies, was built in the 16th century.

Despite its monumentality, the Salvador façade stands out for its scarce decoration, which contrasts greatly with the interior.

It is organized into three streets separated by pairs of pilasters, which correspond to the three naves of the temple. In the first body there are three doors, with the central one larger than the side ones. They are framed in a very classic way, with pilasters supporting a lintel on which a second, much smaller body opens. Two angels on each lintel hold a shield with the representation of the "Agnus Dei". On the main portal, a globe crowned by a cross symbolizes the "Savior", while the side portals are crowned by the effigies of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The Plateresque-style decoration that runs through the pilasters and some of the moldings is relatively recent, from the end of the 19th century. Two oculi framed by square molding open on the side portals.

In the second body, we find only the extension of the central street, framed again by pilasters, and with a large central oculus as the only decoration. On each side, there are two areas decorated with scrolls, very frequent elements in European religious architecture since the Renaissance. They have the function of softening the transition between the great width of the first body and the much smaller width of the second.

Behind these convoluted spaces are hidden two buttresses that seem to serve to support the weight of the walls of the central nave. It should be noted that these elements are traditionally linked to Gothic architecture and not to Baroque. In the case of El Salvador they are especially interesting since they apparently do not fulfill any structural function due to their position. It has been pointed out by several authors that the inclusion of buttresses would simply be due to a symbolic interest, that of highlighting the importance of the church as a collegiate temple by introducing this type of elements traditionally linked to a type of "cathedral" architecture. This is how José María Medianero Hernández explains it in an article dedicated to the survival of flying buttresses in Lower Andalusian architecture:

“The general compositional role does not appear to be fortunate given its setback composition with respect to the aforementioned lateral additions ending in volutes and its only functionality seems to be established in the mission of conducting the discharge of water. Of course, this trivial problem could have been solved in a simpler way. Perhaps the most plausible explanation is the recurrence to an emblematic motif of a collegiate temple with cathedral aspirations, desires and pretensions that architecturally transcend the packaging and elegance of the building.

Dome

The dome is the most recognizable element of the church of El Salvador, especially when the temple is viewed from a distance. It was built in 1709-1710 following the design and direction of Leonardo de Figueroa, an architect who created other masterful domes in Seville, among which those of the Magdalena and San Luis de los Franceses stand out.

In the case of El Salvador, it is a hemispherical dome on an octagonal drum. It has a height of more than 40 meters and a width of more than 10 meters. The elevated drum serves to highlight the dome above the rest of the church's roofs and eight windows open on its sides, crowned by alternating curved and straight pediments.

The domes of the church of El Escorial and the Clerecía of Salamanca have been noted as antecedents, both indebted to the dome designed by Bernini for the church of Castelgandolfo.

Inside

The church has a rectangular or hall floor plan, as it does not form the classic Latin cross shape so common in Christian churches. It is divided into three naves, the central one being higher and wider than the side ones. Although the church does not have side chapels, but rather altars, some spaces are attached to the main body of the floor, such as the old baptismal chapel, the sacramental chapel and the sacristy.

The vaults are supported by colossal square pillars to which are attached columns of composite order and richly sculpted shafts. The roof is made with a barrel vault in the central nave and the transept, and a groin vault in the side naves.

The sculptural decoration runs through the stone parts of the interior of the temple, such as the shafts of the columns or the spandrels of the arches. It is mostly plant decoration, scrolls and other baroque motifs. We also frequently see the royal coat of arms, especially in the keystones of the transverse arches, an element that had the purpose of emphasizing to the Cathedral chapter the fact that the church was a royally founded collegiate church. We also find decoration in the pendentives that support the dome, in which the busts of the four evangelists are located in medallions surrounded by profuse ornamentation.

Main Altarpiece 

The church is dominated by an imposing baroque altarpiece, made between 1770 and 1779 by the Portuguese sculptor Cayetano de Acosta. It is a masterpiece of Sevillian altarpiece art that has sometimes been called "the last great altarpiece of the Spanish Baroque." The decorative profusion makes it difficult to distinguish the architectural structure of the altarpiece. In its center the scene of the Transfiguration of the Lord is represented, the moment in which Christ is present after the Resurrection on Mount Tabor. He is accompanied by Moses and Elijah, as representatives of the Old Testament and, on a lower level, the apostles Peter, James and John prostrate themselves in admiration. The central figure of Christ adopts a posture that has been related to the colossal Longinus that Bernini sculpted for St. Peter in the Vatican and is framed by a large scallop. The rest of the altarpiece is motley with countless figures of cherubs, angels and archangels. On the bench there are reliefs with representations of the Fathers of the Church and in the center we find a Tabernacle-Manifestator, crowned by an Immaculate Conception. In the attic, the figure of God the Father presides over the entire complex, emphasized by large golden sparkles behind him.

The hemispherical vault over the presbytery is decorated by tempera paintings that Juan de Espinal made at the end of the 18th century. It represents heavenly glory, with the Holy Spirit in the center, and through optical effects such as a fake balustrade, it manages to give the impression that it is a higher vault than it really is.

Organ

Above the main entrance to the church, there is today an imposing wooden organ, made by Juan de Bono and Manuel Barrera at the end of the 18th century. This organ was located in the center of the temple, in the choir area that opened in front of the High Altar. Collegiate churches were required to have their own choir, as is the case with cathedrals. A brilliant musical career developed in this temple since the 16th century, with such outstanding figures as the organist Correa de Arauxo, called "the Spanish Bach." In 1861 the collegiate character of the church was removed, the choir area was eliminated and the organ was moved to its current location. Even today, it is considered one of the best organs in Andalusia and is immersed in a restoration process.

Also magnificent is the altarpiece of the Virgin of the Waters, on the right side of the transept, a work by José Maestre from 1731 presided over by this Marian image of the so-called “fernandinas”, dating back to the 13th century but much remodeled later. These are just two examples of the large collection of altarpieces that this church houses.

And the representation in the temple of great masters of sculpture is exceptional. In all probability, the two great figures of the Sevillian baroque are Juan Martínez Montañés and his disciple Juan de Mesa.

Of the first, El Salvador preserves a colossal sculpture of Saint Christopher, reminiscent of Michelangelo for its monumentality and beauty. But the most outstanding work of this author in El Salvador is surely Our Father Jesus of the Passion, a moving image of the Lord with the cross on his back, which wonderfully shows the classicism of Montañés's baroque, managing to convey all the feeling and the emotion of the moment, but in a contained, elegant and solemn way. It presides over the silver altarpiece of the Sacramental Chapel and goes out in procession every Holy Thursday. We are not exaggerating when we say that it is one of the most successful representations of Jesus the Nazareth of the Spanish Baroque.

From the other great master of Sevillian baroque, Juan de Mesa, we find the Christ of Love, who also processions from this temple during Holy Week, this time during Palm Sunday. It is an exceptional carving of a crucified man, already dead, with a masterful treatment of the anatomy, hair and cloth. An exceptional work within the production of its author, which seems to have taken into account for its creation the model that his teacher Montañés made a few years before with the Christ of Clemency that we found in the Cathedral.

Along with these masters, the list of great artists with works in this church of the Savior is almost countless. We could cite, for example, Duque Cornejo, José Montes de Oca or Antonio Quirós. But for now we finish here this small sketch about the authentic living museum of Sevillian baroque that is the old schoolhouse of El Salvador. We will tell more in future installments.

And remember that if you are interested in taking a guided tour so as not to miss any of the details, you can contact us by any means you prefer from this website.

CONVENT OF SANTA MARÍA DE JESÚS

by

The church of the convent of Santa María de Jesús is the only currently visitable part of a monastic complex of Poor Clare sisters that has been located on Águilas Street since the 16th century. It is a classic “box church” ("iglesia de cajón"), so common in Sevillian convents, which is why it has a rectangular floor plan and a single nave.

History

The convent of Franciscan nuns of Santa María de Jesús was founded in 1502 by Jorge Alberto de Portugal and his wife, Filipa de Melo, who eventually became the first counts of Gelves by concession of Charles V. Since its origin it has been a convent of barefoot nuns of the First Rule of Saint Clare (Franciscan). The construction of the current church was undertaken at the end of the 16th century and was considerably renovated at the end of the 17th century and in the middle of the 19th century.

Another important milestone in the history of this church would be the disappearance in 1996 of the Sevillian Convento de Santa Clara, on Becas Street. The few nuns who remained in the cloister moved to this convent of Santa María de Jesús, bringing with them some of the movable property belonging to the old convent.

Outside

Access from the outside is through a Mannerist doorway open on the left wall, in whose design the architects Juan de Oviedo and Alonso de Vandelvira are known to have participated. It is a lintelled doorway, framed by classic Ionic style pilasters and topped by a split and curved pediment. Above the center is a niche, topped this time by a triangular pediment, which houses a beautiful seated sculpture of the Virgin holding the Child Jesus. On the lintel above the door, two angels hold an inscription that reads "Sancta María ora pro nobis", in which "María" has been replaced by the symbol of the Ave Maria (AM). Just below appears "SE REN. YEAR OF 1695", referring to the date of one of the most important reforms undertaken in the temple.

A few meters to the right of this doorway, you can see another one that is now blocked off and which was once the primitive access to the cloister. In the center of this old entrance there is currently a ceramic altarpiece of San Pancracio that is very popular among Sevillians. It was made in the 40s of the 20th century by Alfonso Chaves Tejada at the Ramos Rejano Factory in Triana.

Inside

Inside, the nave is covered by a barrel vault with lunettes and transverse arches. Intricate plasterwork decorates the base of the transverse arches, the center of the vaults and the semicircular space under the lunettes. In this area, the plasterwork frames the windows that open onto the street on the Gospel side and a series of canvases from the old convent of Santa Clara on the Epistle side.

At the foot of the church, there are the upper and lower choirs, reserved for the cloister and separated from the rest of the temple by a wall in which large bars and two side doors open.

A large main arch on marble columns separates the nave from the presbytery like a triumphal arch. In its lower part, a small fence makes the presbytery an exclusive area for the officiants and the nuns. It is covered by a splendid eight-panel coffered ceiling in the Mudejar style, dating from the end of the 16th century. This characteristic is quite particular to this church, since in general in Sevillian convent churches it is common to cover this area with Gothic-style stone vaults. It has a tile plinth dated 1589 and attributed to the ceramist Alonso García. The walls are profusely decorated with baroque motifs and little angels that frame representations of archangels and allegories of monastic life. They have been dated to the end of the 17th century and their state of conservation is quite poor.

The main altarpiece was also made at the end of the 17th century and is of extraordinary quality. Cristóbal de Guadix was its assembler and Pedro Roldán the image maker, making all the sculptures, with the exception of the Virgin who occupies the central niche that is later. The central body is divided into three streets through four splendid Solomonic columns. On the left we find Saint Francis and, above him, a bust of Saint Michael. In parallel, on the right is Santa Clara and a bust of Santa Catalina. It should be remembered that Saint Francis is obviously the founder of the order that bears his name and Saint Clare the architect of its female branch.

The central street is almost entirely occupied by a large niche that houses a beautiful seated image of the Virgin changing the diapers of the Baby Jesus. Although it lacks reliable documentation, this image has been attributed to Luisa Roldán, la Roldana, based on her stylistic characteristics. Above the niche, a small temple houses a representation of the Eucharist.

In the center of the attic, a high relief represents the Nativity of the Virgin, framed in curious architectural forms that emphasize the sensation of depth of the composition. On both sides, the figures of the "Santos Juanes", San Juan Bautista and San Juan Evangelista, always present in the Sevillian conventual churches.

Also inside the presbytery, to the right, is a small altarpiece, framed by Solomonic columns, dedicated to the Jesus of Forgiveness. It is a representation of Jesus with the Cross on his back, from the 17th century and in full size, something quite unusual for the Sevillian Nazarenes. Its authorship is not documented but it has sometimes been attributed to Juan de Mesa himself, author of Gran Poder. In the attic of the altarpiece we find a relief in which Pope Honorius III is represented giving Saint Francis the Rules of the Order.

Although the temple does not have side chapels, several altarpieces are attached to its walls as small altars. On the Gospel side, we find two dated to the end of the 17th century and also attributed to Cristóbal de Guadix. They are dedicated respectively to Saint Anne, who appears in the traditional attitude of teaching the Virgin to read, and to Saint Andrew, holding the cross in the shape of a cross on which he was martyred.

On the opposite wall, the first altarpiece is dedicated to Saint Anthony and is of similar chronology and characteristics to the previous ones. Something later seems to be the next altarpiece, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, which is presided over by a beautiful carving from the 18th century that has been attributed to both Duque Cornejo and Luisa Roldán.

The next altarpiece, just in front of the entrance, is from the 20th century and houses a also modern image of Saint Pancras. It is probably the image with the least artistic value in the church but one of the ones that arouses the most popular fervor, since popular religiosity has been attributing to Saint Pancras the ability to effectively mediate especially in matters related to the work and economic sphere.

Finally, next to the low choir, the oldest altarpiece in the temple is located. Of Renaissance style, it dates back to 1587 and is the work of Asensio de Maeda and Juan de Oviedo. In the central body, framed by two Ionic columns, there is the relief of Jesus on the way to Calvary, which has the particularity that the Cross is held in a different way than usual, with Christ embracing the longest section, just like the does Our Father Jesus of the Brotherhood of Silence. In the attic there is another relief representing God the Father, probably also from the end of the 16th century, and on the bench we find a painting with the "Souls of Purgatory", already from the 18th century.

In the center of the wall that separates the nave from the upper and lower choirs, there is a Crucified Christ from the 17th century from the exclaustrated Convent of Santa Clara. It is located in the center of a curious canopy in which the emblems of San Francisco and Santa Clara (Franciscans) can be distinguished. On both sides there are two canvases also from the 17th century with "The Franciscan Martyrs of Japan" and "The Foundation of the Third Order by Saint Francis." In both there are signs with descriptions at the bottom, making their didactic purpose clear.

* Repositorio Gráfico del IAPH : https://repositorio.iaph.es/

CHURCH OF SAN LUIS DE LOS FRANCESES

by

The church of San Luis de los Franceses constitutes one of the most outstanding examples of Sevillian baroque, with a clear influence of the great works of religious architecture in Rome in the 17th century.

It has a central plan in the shape of a Greek cross, preceded by the entrance by an atrium in which the choir is located. The arms of the cross on the floor plan are finished in the shape of an exedra and in the center of the complex rises an imposing dome on a circular drum.

History

It is the church of the old novitiate of the Company of Jesus in Seville. Its works began in 1699 and continued until its consecration in 1731. Leonardo de Figueroa was the architect in charge, although it seems that the plan of the project, with a marked Italian character, was imposed by the Company. Its similarity has been noted with the plan of Santa Agnese in Rome, the work of the architects Girolamo and Carlo Raimaldi some fifty years earlier. Other architects also participated in its construction, such as Matías de Figueroa, son of Leonardo, or Diego Antonio Díaz, to whom the finishing of the towers is attributed.

 

Outside

The exterior façade has two horizontal bodies divided by five vertical modules, with the central one accentuated by its greater decorative profusion. In addition, it is finished with a trilobed pediment on which the figures of the three archangels appear. The entire façade shows the traditional bichrome of the Sevillian baroque, with the facings in painted brick and the stone pilasters and decorative stone elements.

At the ends of the façade there are two robust bell towers with an octagonal section, decorated with sculptures of the Evangelists. Both flank the monumental hemispherical dome, set on a drum, covered with glazed tiles and crowned by a lantern.

 

Inside

The interior of the temple transmits in an unmatched way the sensation of exuberance and decorative profusion of the Baroque, with a perfect symbiosis between architecture, sculpture and painting. Attached to the buttresses that support the dome are monumental Solomonic columns with golden composite capitals that accentuate the feeling of dynamism of the space.

The main altarpiece is the work of Pedro Duque Cornejo and is dated around 1730. It is a true compendium of baroque elements, with paintings, sculptures, relics and architectural elements arranged to form a motley ensemble, without any ordered structure. At the top, it is covered by a large canopy that shelters the whole like a canopy, crowned by a large royal crown.

The two altarpieces on the side arms, dedicated to San Francisco de Borja and San Estanislao de Kostka, are also due to Duque Cornejo. Both consist of an identical structure, with a bench, a central body divided into three streets, and an attic. In the central niches are the sculptures of the owners and on the sides a series of canvases that allude to them, the work of Domingo Martínez.

In the four buttresses that support the dome there are four smaller altarpieces, but with a similar structure and decorative exuberance. Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint John Francis of Regis and Saint Louis Gonzaga are dedicated.

 

Domestic Chapel

In addition to the church, within the premises of San Luis de los Franceses there is another space of enormous artistic value called the "domestic chapel". It has a single nave, covered by a barrel vault with lunettes and transverse arches, while the presbyter area is covered by an elliptical vault. The altarpiece is also the work of Duque Cornejo, from around 1730, and includes a profusion of Jesuit saints. Among the numerous sculptures, it is worth highlighting an Immaculate Conception that stands above the Tabernacle in a style very close to that of Gregorio Fernández.

The entire chapel is profusely decorated. On the walls there are a series of paintings of the apostles, interspersed with reliquaries and a set of Flemish bronzes on the life of the Virgin. Equally rich is the pictorial decoration of the presbytery and the vaults, works by Domingo Martínez and his workshop.

CHURCH OF SAN ISIDORO

by

The church of San Isidoro is one of the medieval parishes of Seville. Several authors much later than its foundation say that it was built on the site that would have been occupied by the family house of San Isidoro during the Visigothic period. Naturally, absolutely nothing could be verified about these statements.

History

We do know that its construction must have begun in the first third of the 14th century, since the cover on the Epistle side is closely linked to that on the side of the Gospel of Saint Anne of Triana, for which the chronology is documented. In this way, both would be among the oldest churches in the city. Furthermore, the urban area in which it is located is the highest with respect to the river and, therefore, the one with the oldest settlement. The forum of Roman Hispalis has traditionally been located in its vicinity, although it is true that without any archaeological basis.

Since the Christian conquest, wealthy families from the city settled in this area and merchants of the most diverse origins settled there from the 16th century onwards. In this way, San Isidoro will be a "rich" parish and this has an inevitable reflection in the architecture and ornament of the temple.

The original 14th century building was notably altered between the 16th and 17th centuries, mainly in the presbytery area. Also in the 18th century, reforms were undertaken, such as the construction of the chapels on the left side.

As it has come down to us, San Isidoro is a rectangular church with three naves, a transept, a choir at the foot and side chapels, which are different in size, style and layout.

Outside

On the outside, the temple has three doors. The one located at the foot is very simple, in the Mudejar style. It consists of a slightly pointed arch framed by an alfiz. Apparently, the arch was initially horseshoe-shaped and was "simplified" to adopt its current appearance sometime between the 16th and 18th centuries.

The door that opens to the left side is the most recent, added in the 18th century in a neoclassical style. It is lintel, with two pilasters supporting a simple entablature. Next to it, we find the most ornamentally rich façade fragment in this church. This is the exterior part of the sacramental chapel, added as we said in the 18th century, which in some way functions as a separate façade. It is made of exposed brick, with a baroque style with very classic lines, and stands out for its reddish color, different from the rest of the temple. It is topped by a triangular pediment and in the center of the wall there is a lobed medallion with an allegorical scene of the “Adoration of the Holy Sacrament”.

Right at the other end, on the Epistle side, the other door opens, dated to the 14th century. It presents the classic forms of the Sevillian Gothic-Mudejar doorways. It consists of a pointed arch with archivolts, the two outermost ones at the top being decorated with geometric motifs: one with saw teeth and the other with diamond points. It is framed by a double alfiz, the first triangular and a larger square one.

At the apex of the triangular alfiz we find a sculpted star of David or Solomon, historically linked to the Hebrew religion. It is the only church in Seville in which we can see this element, which has been the subject of the most diverse interpretations. However, the truth is that this six-pointed star is a symbol that appears quite frequently in medieval religious buildings, apparently as an element of protection. In an article about this cover, Rafael Cómez tells us that "with a talismanic meaning and a spell against the forces of evil, the six-pointed star, inscribed in a circle, must have been made, which is shown to us on the cover of the nave of the Epistle. ".

Above this door, a bell tower was built much later, and already in the Baroque style, which preserves the 18th century tiles depicting Saint Isidore and Saint Leandro.

Inside

Inside, the naves are divided by pointed brick arches that rest on cruciform pillars. The roofs are wooden coffered ceilings in the Mudejar style, with the central trough shaped and the side ones hanging. As an exception, the transept is covered with a hemispherical dome on pendentives in its center and with barrel vaults on each of its sides.

The main altarpiece is mainly made up of an excellent canvas that represents the "Transit of San Isidoro", a work by Juan de Roelas from 1613. The frame-altarpiece that houses it is later; It was made around 1752 by Felipe del Castillo. The paintings in the vaults date from the mid-18th century and have been related to the work of Juan de Espinal. They represent fake architectures in which San Fernando and San Hermenegildo are framed.

To the left of the main chapel, at the head of the Gospel nave, is the Maestres chapel, which has an interesting tiled plinth original from the 17th century. A 19th-century neoclassical altarpiece houses the image of the Christ of the Blood, a moving Gothic carving from the mid-14th century. It is the oldest Crucified of those preserved in Seville, comparable only to the Christ of the Million in the Cathedral.

Just on the other side of the main altar, at the head of the Epistle nave, is the Villampando chapel, from the beginning of the 17th century, the date in which the tile plinths and the grille that closes it were made. It is presided over by a baroque altarpiece dedicated to Saint Albert.

On the wall of this same nave there is another baroque altarpiece, this time from the mid-18th century. In its center, an image of Saint Joseph from the same period, the work of José Montes de Oca.

On this right side the church has a single chapel, dedicated to the Virgin of Health. It is the most clearly Mudejar style. It has a hemispherical vault, decorated with geometric motifs and set on squinches. The image of the Virgin has been dated to the beginning of the 16th century, with a transitional style between Gothic and Renaissance. She is full size, although she is generally presented dressed in the baroque style.

On the other side of the church, in the Gospel nave, next to the entrance is the Chapel of Our Father Jesus of the Three Falls, the titular image of the brotherhood based in this church that processions every Good Friday. The Christ is a carving by Alonso Martínez from around 1667. The Virgin of Loreto is the image that accompanies him in this chapel and on his processional exit. It is an anonymous dressing room from the 18th century, although deeply renovated by Sebastián Santos in the mid-20th century. Although it is not found in this chapel, the brotherhood has another image of great value. This is the Cyrenean who helps Jesus with the cross on his path. It is a magnificent carving from 1687 by Francisco Antonio Gijón, an illustrious name in the history of Sevillian art, forever linked to the overwhelming "Puppy" of Triana. The Cirineo of San Isidoro is considered one of the best "secondary" carvings of Holy Week in the city and is generally located in the Epistle nave, close to the entrance.

The most prominent chapel of the church, and one of the most notable in the Sevillian baroque, is the sacramental chapel. It has its origins in the 16th century, the date on which the gate that closes it is dated, although as it has come down to us it is a work from the 18th century.

Above the access to the chapel there is a canvas with the "Allegory of the Eucharist", an interesting work attributed to Lucas Valdés. Once inside, the walls are covered with a series of canvases, mainly with themes related to the Eucharist, such as "The Transfer of the Ark of the Covenant" or "The Delivery of the Propitiation Bread", works also linked to the style by Lucas Valdes.

The cornices and upper part of the walls have a profuse decoration of plasterwork, which reproduces plant and architectural motifs, such as Solomonic columns.

But the element that attracts most attention in the chapel is its spectacular altarpiece, one of the most exuberant examples of Sevillian altarpieces. It is a work by Jerónimo Balbás and Pedro Duque Cornejo, made at the beginning of the 18th century by order of Juan Bautista Melcampo, a merchant of Flemish origin buried in the same chapel. The decorative profusion is such that it is difficult to distinguish the architectural structure. Countless child and youth angels intermingle with vegetal motifs, garlands, stipes and Solomonic columns in a motley and dazzling ensemble.

In the central niche, the Virgin of the Snows is venerated, a seated image that reproduces the scheme of the "Fernandine" Virgins, such as that of the Kings of the Cathedral or that of the Waters of El Salvador. However, it seems that that of San Isidoro is later, at least from the 16th century. On both sides are San Sebastián and San Roque.

In the center of the second body of the altarpiece there is a Child Jesus with the style of Juan Martínez Montañés. On his sides, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and above him the figure of God the Father appears from a medallion in an attitude of blessing.

CHAPEL OF SANTA MARÍA DE JESÚS (MAESE RODRIGO’S CHAPEL)

by

This Puerta de Jerez chapel is the only vestige that remains of the primitive University of Seville, which was founded by Master Rodrigo de Santaella in 1506.

The rest of the buildings of this first university were demolished at the beginning of the 20th century to lay out the current Avenida de la Constitución, within the process of urban remodeling that the city experienced in the years prior to the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929. The original cover of the The building was dismantled and is currently preserved in the compass of the Santa Clara convent. In the main altarpiece of this chapel you can see a representation of the missing building.

The chapel that has survived to us has a single nave and is stylistically ascribed to late Gothic-Mudejar. It was consecrated in 1506, still unfinished.

On the outside, it has three facades. The rear was renovated in the 20th century and shows a small Mudejar window, made of brick and with a multi-lobed arch. On the side façade there is a beautiful Gothic window with archivolts, plant decoration and tracery in the upper part, forming three oculi. On this same façade there is a marble tombstone that alludes to the foundation in Gothic characters.

At the foot is the main façade, which originally did not face the street but rather an interior patio of the university. It has a simple doorway in the shape of an ogee arch composed of bichrome bricks and framed by an alfiz. Despite its simplicity, it is highly harmonious and stands out for the unusual nature of this type of arch in Sevillian Gothic architecture. On the right side of the chapel, right between the nave and the presbytery, there is a simple belfry, also made of bichrome bricks and topped by stepped battlements.

Inside, the only nave of the church is clearly divided into two areas, differentiated by their coverage. The body of the nave is covered by a wooden cladding, while the presbytery is covered by a Gothic trecelet cross vault. As a transition between both spaces, there is a large central arch, pointed and decorated with cardinas.

Although the temple's original flooring was replaced in the 20th century by the current marble floor, the tile skirting boards on the walls have been preserved, made with beautiful polychrome using the dry rope technique. The front of the altar was made with the same technique, but in this case including golden reflections, a very rare element in ceramic decoration of this type in Seville.

The main altarpiece is a piece of enormous artistic interest, made by the German-born painter Alejo Fernández around 1520. Its structure is clearly Gothic, although his paintings already show a certain Renaissance influence. The theme is linked to the exaltation of wisdom, in relation to the original purpose of the temple as the College chapel.

It is structured from bottom to top in a bench and two bodies. In the center of the bench is the tabernacle, on whose sides there are six tables, three with representations of bishops, an Ecce Homo and an image of the Virgin and Child in the Byzantine style. It is stated that it was brought from Italy by Master Rodrigo himself.

The first body is presided over by a reproduction of the Virgin of Antigua, the original of which is in one of the chapels of the Seville Cathedral. At her feet, Master Rodrigo appears on a smaller scale, giving the Virgin a model that represents the College founded by him. On both sides, the four doctors of the church: Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Ambrose, Saint Gregory the Great and Saint Jerome.

In the center of the second body is the representation of "Pentecost". It is in this painting where you can most appreciate the Renaissance influence that we have talked about in the work of Alejo Fernández. Flanking it, from left to right, we see Saint Peter, Saint Gabriel, Saint Michael and Saint Paul.

HOSPITAL DE LA CARIDAD (CHARITY HOSPITAL)

by

The Hospital de la Caridad is the headquarters of the brotherhood of Santa Caridad, whose purpose is to assist sick people with few resources. It was founded in the 15th century and still carries out valuable healthcare work in Seville today. The architectural complex that has survived to us is mostly dated to the 17th century.

CC BY-SA 3.0

HISTORY

In its origins, the brotherhood was mainly dedicated to paying for the burial of those executed and drowned in the river, functions that expanded over time, increasingly focused on assisting the sick without resources. In the 16th century it is known that they had their headquarters in a small chapel dedicated to Saint George, which was in the same location as the current temple.

It is a space that was part of the old Royal Shipyards of Seville, an immense area of seventeen ships dedicated since the 13th century to the construction, repair and storage of ships. 

In the middle of the 17th century, it was decided to replace the original chapel with a new church and the adjacent construction of a large hospital to care for the sick. For this, the space of three of the ships of the old shipyards was given to them.

The works began in 1645 under the direction of Pedro Sánchez Falconete and received a notable boost when Miguel de Mañara entered the brotherhood, who would be elected elder brother in 1663. 

Mañara was a wealthy Sevillian merchant who found meaning in his life in Santa Caridad after the death of his wife. Various testimonies from the time, including some references from himself, speak of him leading a very disorderly life in his youth, which is why since the 19th century he has been linked to the figure of Don Juan Tenorio, the most universal literary archetype. from among those who emerged in Seville. Tradition has wanted to see in Miguel de Mañara the character on which Tenorio is based, although currently we know that neither the facts of his biography nor his chronology allow us to support this statement.

What is certain is that his arrival to the leadership of the brotherhood was a great boost for it, managing to attract large sums of money donated by the best-placed families in the city, among which Mañara was used to moving. 

The Hospital complex consists of two enormous elongated rooms for caring for the sick, more than 40 meters long, which run perpendicular to Temprado Street. Before them, a rectangular porticoed patio opens, divided in two by a gallery in the center. To the left, and also perpendicular to the street, is the church, with a single nave. It has its main façade at the foot and a side access from the patio.

HOSPITAL

On the outside, the only part that has decoration is the one that corresponds to the church. The rest of the façade is very austere, with hardly any decoration, with the exception of the two pilasters that flank the main door and that support the projection of a small balcony.

After a small hall, you access the first of the two patios, separated only by the passage supported by a gallery of columns that we have mentioned. In all probability they were designed by the great architect of the Sevillian baroque, Leonardo de Figueroa, who is known to have been master builder of La Caridad since 1679.

Both have porticoes on three sides, with the exception of the one that faces the large naves of the hospital. They do so through semicircular arches supported by Tuscan marble columns on the first floor. The second floor is closed, although large protected windows with a small balcony open to the patio, coinciding in location with the arches on the ground floor.

In the center of each patio we find two monumental fountains with allegorical representations of Faith and Charity. They were made in Genoa and it is documented that he commissioned them for this hospital in 1682. 

On the walls of the patio you can admire a set of seven tile panels in shades of blue on white that represent various scenes from the Old and New Testament. They were made in Holland, probably in Delft, at the end of the 17th century and arrived at the hospital as a donation from the Descalzos convent of Cádiz.

CHURCH OF SAINT GEORGE

Facade

The hospital temple maintained the dedication of Saint George, to whom the primitive chapel around which the brotherhood was founded was dedicated. Its façade stands out from the rest of the hospital for its height and decorative richness, despite its relative simplicity, especially in comparison with the decorative exuberance that we will see inside.

It is arranged following the logic of an altarpiece, articulated on two levels and the architectural elements, such as pilasters and pediments, constitute the main decorative element. Despite its classic lines, it is a façade of great originality, achieved through the combination of white and ocher surfaces, between which five ceramic panels in blue and white tones are arranged.

CC BY-SA 3.0

In the first body, the access door is framed by two pairs of attached columns that support an entablature with a split curved pediment. Between each pair of columns are the baked clay figures of San Fernando and San Hermenegildo, the two saints traditionally considered "patrons" of the Spanish Crown.

On the second level, a balcony framed by Corinthian pilasters opens in the center of the split pediment of the first floor. Above it, a niche houses the central ceramic panel, with an allegorical representation of Charity.

On each side are two other ceramic panels, the lower ones finished with a curved pediment and the upper ones with a straight pediment. On the first level, "Saint Michael against the dragon" and "James defeating the Saracens" are represented. Saint George is the patron saint of the hospital in memory of the chapel around which it was founded and Santiago is the patron saint of Spain. They are arranged here symbolizing saints who "fight against the forces of evil to impose the Christian faith." Above them, the ceramic panels of Faith and Hope, which with that of Charity that we mentioned before complete the three theological virtues. Traditionally, the design of the five ceramic panels has been attributed to Murillo, although due to its formal characteristics it does not seem that this statement has a historical basis.

The façade is topped by a central attic with a straight pediment and two lateral brick pinnacles. These forms are quite common in the Sevillian baroque and their similarity to works by Leonardo de Figueroa has led to at least the completion of the façade being attributed to him.

Attached to the head of the left side of the church is a small bell tower, not very visible given its location. It was built in 1721 under the direction of Leonardo de Figueroa. In it, the architectural elements described on the temple's façade are repeated, on a smaller scale. The original spire is striking, abundant in sculptural and ceramic decoration despite its small dimensions.

Inside

The church has a very simple, rectangular plan, with a single nave and a flat head. It is covered by a barrel vault, except in the central space before the presbytery, which is covered with a hemispherical vault on pendentives, as wide as the nave itself. At the foot there is a high choir, supported by three arches on Tuscan marble columns, the lateral ones semicircular and the central one lowered and wider.

The main entrance is located at the foot and upon entering the church we realize that we are facing one of the most exceptional complexes in the history of art in the city. It is not only a collection of singular works of great merit, but together they form a homogeneous and perfectly coherent discourse with the Baroque world in which it was created.

CC BY-SA 3.0

Iconographic program: works of mercy as a path to salvation

The iconographic program was designed by Miguel de Mañara, with the aim of transmitting the idea of the transience of life and the irrelevance of achievements and material possessions when the last moment comes. It tells us that we are all headed to the same end and only the practice of Christian virtues, among them charity, guarantees the salvation of the soul. The aim was to stir the conscience of anyone who entered the church and promote donations through fear of eternal damnation.

The speech begins with the two canvases that are on both sides as soon as you enter the temple, on two access doors to side rooms. These are two works by Juan Valdés Leal from 1672 that have death as their central theme. They are of such quality that it is not unreasonable to define them as the best works with this theme in the entire history of universal art.

The first is titled "In ictu oculi", which could be translated as "in the blink of an eye". It shows a skeleton holding a scythe in one hand while with the other he extinguishes the flame of a candle, symbolizing that it takes only an instant to go from life to death. Next to him, a series of symbols of earthly glory are piled up: luxurious clothing, a royal crown, a papal tiara, colorful books, scepters, armor... None of all that matters when the final moment comes, death is carried away without respects both for a supreme pontiff and for a humble peasant.

The second painting, located directly opposite, is titled "Finis Gloriae Mundi" ("The End of the Glory of the World"), as can be read on a cloth banner that appears in the foreground. It is set inside a tomb and we see the decomposed corpses of a bishop and a knight of the Order of Calatrava. Despite the deterioration, both show off their richest clothing. From the top, the arm of Christ emerges, recognizable by the stigma in the palm of the hand, holding a scale with two plates. One of them reads "NI MÁS" (no more) and the symbols of the capital sins rest on it. The other reads "NI MENOS" (no less) and holds the symbols of Christian virtues. The message is clear, when the final moment comes, titles, honors or material possessions are of no use, only good and bad actions will be taken into account. He is thus encouraged to do everything possible so that, when that moment comes, the plate of virtues outweighs that of sins.

El siguiente hito de esta narración consiste en mostrar el camino a la salvación a través de las obras de misericordia, que nos permiten ejercer la caridad ayudando al prójimo. La doctrina católica define siete obras de misericordia “corporales” y se encargó a Murillo la realización de seis lienzos para representar las seis primeras. Esto es debido a que la séptima, “enterrar a los difuntos”, quedaría representada por el retablo mayor del que hablaremos más tarde.

Hoy las podemos contemplar a ambos lados, en la parte superior de los muros de la nave y del ante-presbiterio. Sin embargo, las cuatro obras originales que se encontraban más cercanas a la entrada fueron sustraídas en 1810 durante la ocupación napoleónica de la ciudad y en la actualidad se hallan repartidas por diversos museos del mundo. De hecho, la talla de los museos en los que se encuentran es un buen indicativo de la calidad artística del conjunto original. Hoy se encuentran dispersas entre la National Gallery de Londres, el Museo de Ottawa, la National Gallery de Washington y el Museo del Ermitage en San Petersburgo.

Desde 2007 se pueden contemplar en la iglesia una serie de copias fidedignas realizadas a mano. En el muro de la derecha se sitúan "La curación del paralítico", que alude a la práctica de atender a los enfermos, y "San Pedro liberado por el ángel", que hace referencia a la obligación de redimir al cautivo. Justo enfrente, en el muro de la izquierda, encontramos "El regreso del hijo pródigo", en referencia al mandato de vestir al desnudo, y "Abraham y los tres ángeles", que alude a la obligación de dar posada al peregrino.

El ciclo dedicado a las obras de misericordia continúa con los dos grandes lienzos situados en la parte superior de los muros del ante-presbiterio. Afortunadamente, en este caso sí que estamos ante los originales de Murillo. A la izquierda vemos a "Moisés haciendo brotar el agua de la Roca", que hace alusión a la obligación de dar de beber al sediento. Justo enfrente, se representa "La multiplicación de los panes y los peces", en referencia al mandato de dar de comer al hambriento.

Main altarpiece

As we said, the seventh work of mercy, "burying the dead", is represented in the church by the central scene of the main altarpiece. It is a set made by Bernardo Simón de Pineda between 1670 and 1674, making up one of the most outstanding altarpieces of all of the Spanish Baroque. 

It is divided into three streets delimited by four beautiful Solomonic columns. The entire center is occupied by the scene of the "Holy Burial of Christ", made by Pedro Roldán, who here executes one of the most accomplished works of his long career. He manages to transmit through the gestures and postures of the characters a great compositional harmony that does not detract from the drama of the scene represented. In the background, and in low relief, there is a dark Mount Calvary, which in a very effective way conveys the sensation of depth and compositional unity of the entire complex.

In the side streets there are San Jorge and San Roque and in the attic the allegories of the three theological virtues appear, from left to right: faith, charity and hope. The entire altarpiece is dotted with a large number of cherubs, child and youth angels, sometimes acting as caryatids, which help to emphasize the sensations of dynamism and decorative exuberance. Crowning the entire complex, a group of four angels hold a cartouche with the name of God in Hebrew.

Other altarpieces and canvases

As we said, the church of the Hospital de la Caridad is distinguished by the high quality of its altarpieces and paintings. The four side altarpieces of the church, like the main altarpiece, are the work of Bernardo Simón de Pineda, a sculptor from Antequera who is among the best sculptors of altarpieces of the 17th century in Seville. The most outstanding canvases are, like those already mentioned about the works of mercy, the work of the brilliant Murillo, who created one of his most outstanding pictorial sets for this church.

On the left wall, starting from the entrance, there is the canvas of "Saint John of God carrying a sick man", a work by Murillo from around 1662. It is a beautiful canvas that shows an angel helping the saint in his work. assistance to the sick, in a topic closely linked to the function of the hospital.

Next is an altarpiece that frames the canvas of "The Annunciation", also a masterful work by Murillo dated around 1670.

Between the nave and the ante-presbytery there is an iron and wood pulpit that stands out for its beautiful design. Culminating it, an allegory of Pedro Roldán's Charity appears and a curious monstrous animal is represented holding the ladder. It is a representation of the conquered evil sculpted by Bernardo Simón de Pineda.

Next, in the ante-presbytery, there is the altarpiece of the Virgin of Charity, presided over by an anonymous image of the Virgin and Child dated to the beginning of the 16th century, in which certain features of the late Gothic period are still noticeable. . In the attic, there is a small canvas by Murillo with the "Salvador Niño", from around 1671, which has been described as one of the most beautiful children's prototypes of his production.

On the right wall, starting again from the foot of the church, we find a beautiful composition by Murillo that represents "Saint Elizabeth of Hungary caring for the stinging." It is dated 1672 and refers to the second obligation of the brotherhood, after that of burying the dead, which was to care for the sick.

Next we find the small relief of Ecce Homo, made in baked clay by the García brothers from Granada at the beginning of the 17th century.

The next altarpiece is that of the Christ of Charity, presided over by a work by Pedro Roldán that shows Christ kneeling, looking towards heaven, praying in the moments before the Crucifixion. It stands out for its moving face, one of the most accomplished in the sculptor's career.

Already in the ante-presbytery, there is the altarpiece of San José, with an image of the saint carved by Cristóbal Ramos in 1782. The chronological difference with the altarpiece, which is a century earlier, and the small size of the sculpture with respect to the niche, show that it is not the work originally intended for this place. Historically, this altarpiece was occupied by a beautiful carving of Saint Joseph from the 17th century from the circle of Pedro Roldán, which is currently located in one of the Hospital's rooms, the so-called Sala de San José. 

In the attic you can admire another of the jewels that Murillo left in this church, a small canvas of "San Juan Bautista Niño", of extraordinary and tender beauty.

Tempera paintings on the dome and walls

Between 1678 and 1682, Juan Valdés Leal was in charge of the pictorial decoration of the upper part of the walls and the dome of the antepresbytery. 

Under the arches that support the dome, flanking the windows, are represented four "alms" saints, whose holiness derives from their assistance to the poor: Saint Martin, Saint Thomas of Villanueva, Saint Julian and Saint John Almoner. The four Evangelists are represented on the pendentives and on the dome's gallons there are eight beautiful angels carrying symbols of the Passion of Christ.

If we look up when leaving the church we can admire one last masterpiece of this church. This is the tempera painting "The Exaltation of the Cross" that Valdés Leal made in 1685 on the semicircular wall under the vault, just above the high choir. His message comes to complete the iconographic discourse that we have been observing in the church. The central idea is the statement derived from the Gospel that no rich man will enter through the gate of the kingdom of heaven. The explanation of the episode represented is quite complex. It is based on a passage from the Golden Legend that Enrique Valdivieso describes like this in the "Guide to Holy Charity":

...tells the moment in which the emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius, after having rescued the Cross of Christ that the Persian monarch Khosrau had stolen from Jerusalem, appears before the gates of this city with the intention of entering triumphantly into she. At that moment several prodigies occurred, first noticing that thick blocks of stone began to fall from the wall and the gates of the city, interrupting the passage of the procession. Also at that moment an angel appeared to the emperor Heraclius and his entourage, telling him that through that door Christ had entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey and accompanied by his humble procession of Apostles, and that he could not make ostentation by entering with his imperial court. dressed in luxurious finery.

The angel's clear and direct message was immediately understood by the emperor Heraclius and therefore he proceeded to take off his clothing, a gesture that his entire procession imitated, as he prepared to enter the city with modesty in his attire and inner recollection; In this way they managed to enter Jerusalem and return the Cross of Christ. The plot of this story, reflected in the painting, points out that in the same way that Heraclius cannot enter the city clothed in his pomp and pageantry, no one will enter Paradise with his riches.

Iglesia de San Bartolomé Sevilla

CHURCH OF SAN BARTOLOMÉ

by

The church of San Bartolomé sits on one of the places in the city where successive worship as a mosque, synagogue and Christian temple has been confirmed throughout history. A mosque was originally located there, which was converted into a synagogue when the Jewish quarter of Seville was created by order of Alfonso X in the second half of the 13th century.

 

After the pogrom of 1391, the synagogue located here was the only one that survived, since those located in Santa María la Blanca and in the current Plaza de Santa Cruz became Christian churches.

When the expulsion of the Jews was decreed in 1492, this synagogue suffered the same fate and the parish of Saint Bartholomew was moved here from a nearby location that we do not know exactly. 

The primitive building was used as a Christian temple for several centuries, until in 1779, given its ruinous state, it was decided to demolish it and build the temple that has survived to this day. Therefore, unlike what happens in Santa María la Blanca, nothing remains in the current church of San Bartolomé of the synagogue that occupied this same place.

The works extended until the first years of the 19th century and were directed by José Echamorro, municipal architect of the Seville city council. It is a neoclassical style temple, with a Latin cross plan, three naves and chapels and side rooms.

The main access to the church is through the left side, through a simple neoclassical doorway, with Tuscan pilasters supporting an entablature, with a frieze of metopes and triglyphs and a straight triangular pediment. Just on the other side of the temple, on the epistle side, there is another doorway very similar to the main one in the structure but made of brick.

At the foot of the left side is the slender bell tower. Divided into two bodies, its elements also denote its neoclassical character, perhaps masked by its albero and almagra colors, so characteristic of Sevillian architecture. The body of bells is closed by four Ionic columns in the corners. It so happens that this level of the tower is exactly the same in design as what we can find in the towers of San Ildefonso, a temple that was built around the same time as that of San Bartolomé and under the direction of the same architect.

When looking at the tower, it is obvious that some type of finishing is missing from the top. Indeed, it was originally covered by a small dome with a countercurved profile, which collapsed twice. In the last restoration of the tower, its restitution was considered but was finally discarded for technical reasons.

Already inside the temple, the neoclassical air is emphasized by the absence of decoration and the white color of the walls and vaults. The wide naves are separated by arches on pillars. The central nave, notably higher, is covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, which allow the temple to be illuminated through the windows that open at its height. For their part, the side naves are covered by groin vaults.

At the foot of the temple is the high choir with its organ, arranged on a large lowered semicircular arch. 

Above the transept, the large gallon dome stands out, with an octagonal drum in which four windows open that contribute to the feeling of clarity of the temple. The dome sits on pendentives, on which four Doctors of the Church are represented: Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory. 

The main altarpiece is neoclassical in style and dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. It is presided over by an image of Saint Bartholomew, owner of the temple, accompanied on both sides by Saint John Nepomuceno and Saint Cayetano. These are baroque carvings by an anonymous author, dating from the 17th century and therefore prior to the altarpiece. From the same period is the image of the Virgin with the Child that is located in the small temple above the Tabernacle. In the attic there is a theatrical representation of the Trinity flanked by angels.

To the left of the presbytery, at the head of the gospel nave, is the Chapel of the Virgin of Joy, with an attractive neoclassical silver altar. The image of the Virgin that presides over it has a legend that dates back its origins to no less than the 2nd century, although the truth is that it has been attributed to the 16th century sculptor Roque Balduque. It was profoundly remodeled in the 18th century and currently has great devotion among the neighborhood's residents. Flanking her on the altar are nineteenth-century sculptures of her parents, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. 

On the other side of the presbytery, at the head of the epistle nave, is the Sacramental Chapel, closed by an interesting wrought iron grille in which the gilded figures stand out. It is from the 17th century and therefore predates the church. The chapel has an altarpiece from around 1650 that, very unusual in Seville, is ungilded, showing the dark color of its wood. The "Piedad" style that we find in the center is also unusual in Seville. It is by an anonymous author and has been dated to the 16th century, although it is clearly influenced in style by Gothic models from northern Europe.

Accompanying her on the altarpiece are sculptures from the 17th century that represent Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint John of the Cross and Saint Anthony of Padua.

Among the remaining altarpieces of the church, the Cristo de las Ánimas stands out, on the right side. It is an altarpiece dated around 1740 structured with stipes, a very characteristic element of 18th century Sevillian altarpieces. The Crucified who presides is a moving and high-quality work that represents Christ already dead on the Cross. It was made at the end of the 16th century by Fernando de Uceda. 

At its feet we find a Dolorosa made by Cristóbal Ramos in 1772. Apparently, it was originally conceived to be kneeling, until in the 19th century Juan de Astorga reformed it to its current position. Traditionally, the resemblance of this image to the Virgen de la Estrella (Virgin of the Star) of Triana has been highlighted, despite the fact that the Triana image is from a century earlier. This circumstance has caused it to sometimes be affectionately called the "Little Star" (Estrellita) of San Bartolomé.

 

CHURCH OF SAN NICOLAS DE BARI

by

The current temple of San Nicolás de Bari was built in the 18th century on the site of a previous 16th-century church, which in turn replaced a previous medieval one. The church is located next to what was one of the entrances to the Jewish quarter during the 13th and 14th centuries. It is a site linked to numerous traditions without archaeological confirmation. It is said, for example, that a Visigothic church was already located in this same place and that it could even survive as a Mozarabic temple during the Islamic period.

CC BY-SA 4.0

In any case, we know that the current church was blessed in 1758 and that a good part of its works were paid for by a patron from the neighborhood, Juan de Castañeda.

It is a temple with five naves, the only one we can find in Seville with this layout, with the exception of the cathedral.

To the outside, it has two entrances. The main one, at the foot, is framed by a simple cover in a baroque style with a very classic air. Two Tuscan-style pilasters support a split pediment, in the center of which is a niche with the image of Saint Nicholas, head of the temple. On both sides, the ceramic altarpieces of the holders of the Brotherhood of Candelaria are practically the only decorative motifs on the façade.

As for the side cover, on the left side, it presents characteristics very similar to the main one but on a smaller scale. In this case, in the central niche we can see a stone image of the Virgen del Subterráneo, which is venerated inside the church.

Inside, the five naves are separated by semicircular arches that rest on 18 reddish marble columns of Genoese origin. The naves are covered with semicircular vaults with transverse arches and at the foot of the church there is a high choir, which preserves the stalls and two original organs from the 18th century.

The main altarpiece is in the Baroque style, from the mid-18th century, attributed to Felipe Fernández del Castillo. In it, the Virgin of the Subterranean is venerated over the manifestor. It is a small size by an anonymous author and dates from the 15th century, although it was reformed on various occasions, such as during the 18th century, when the crown and the burst of silver were added.

Tradition has it that this image was found in a cave under the church when works were being carried out in it around 1492. From this circumstance would come the invocation of her as Virgin of the Underground. It shares this nickname with the Dolorosa de la Hermandad de la Cena, currently in the church of Los Terceros, since apparently this brotherhood had its headquarters in this parish during the 16th century.

Continuing with the main altarpiece, the image of San Nicolás de Bari, head of the temple, is located in the central niche, with San Pedro and San Pablo in the side streets. In the attic there is another niche, smaller than the main one, with a Christ on the Cross. The ensemble is finished off by a large royal crown on a glued curtain, an element used in the late Baroque period to emphasize theatricality. The wall paintings in the presbytery are original from the 18th century and reproduce scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas.

On the left side of the church is the Sacramental Chapel, which, in a neo-Baroque altarpiece from the 20th century, houses the titular images of the Brotherhood of Candelaria. In the center, our Father Jesús de la Salud, a work of full size and somewhat smaller than life size, attributed to Francisco de Ocampo around 1615. To his right, the Virgin of Candelaria, a dress image made by Manuel Galiano Delgado in 1924 and remodeled in 1967 by Antonio Dubé de Luque. On the left is a San Juan by José Ruíz Escamilla from 1926.

On the walls of the Chapel there are some interesting canvases, such as the one that represents the Virgin of Guadalupe, the work of the Mexican painter Juan Correa from 1704, or the one of "San Carlos Borromeo giving communion to the plague victims of Milan", the work of Juan de Espinal from 1750.

Returning to the nave, we can see how practically all the walls of the church are covered by a series of altarpieces, mostly Baroque from the 18th century, which give the temple an atmosphere of great monumentality and decorative exuberance.

At the head of the naves on the left there are two 18th century altarpieces dedicated to the Virgen del Patrocinio and the Virgen de los Dolores or "del Camino", an image that probably comes from the old "Ecce Homo" brotherhood, which disappeared in the eighteenth century.

On the other side of the presbytery, at the head of the naves on the right, there are two altarpieces also dating from the mid-18th century. The first of them is dedicated to Saint Joseph, and is presided over by a beautiful carving of the saint made in 1678 by Francisco Ruiz Gijón, famous for being the author of the Christ of the Expiration, the "Cachorro" of Triana. In the mural paintings next to the altarpiece we find two passages from the life of Saint Joseph made by Pedro Tortorelo in 1760.

The other altarpiece is dedicated to San Carlos Borromeo and on its surrounding walls you can see scenes with the life of the saint, made by Vicente Alanís in 1760. The same author painted the vault with a representation of the Trinity between angels.

[mapsmarker map="2"  lat="37.388549" lng="-5.989307" zoom="18" height="300" heightunit="px"]

SANTA MARÍA LA BLANCA

by

The church of Santa María la Blanca, in the San Bartolomé neighbourhood, is a precious jewel of Sevillian Baroque. It is known that a mosque was built in this same place during the Islamic period and some authors have pointed out that this mosque could have been built on top of a previous Christian church from the Visigothic period. The columns that today frame the small side doorway of the church on Calle Archeros come from this primitive Visigothic temple, although this possibility has not been archaeologically verified.

What is known with certainty is that the mosque was transformed into a synagogue after the Christian conquest of the city. By order of Alfonso X, a Jewish quarter was established in this area of the city, which approximately occupied the area of the current neighborhoods of Santa Cruz and San Bartolomé. In Santa María Blanca one of the three or four main synagogues of the Jewish quarter would be found.

For a long time it was thought that the current temple was completely built in the 17th century, without conserving anything from the previous building. However, various archaeological and restoration work on the building in recent decades have refuted this claim. Apparently, although the baroque reform of which we have spoken completely masked any decorative aspect of the primitive temple, the truth is that the floor plan of the current church and that of the synagogue on which it stands coincide in essentials. And apparently a good part of the walls and arches of the current church also correspond to the primitive work, although their aesthetics were intensely altered by the Baroque reform. This is how the architect Óscar Gil Delgado explains it in “A unveiled synagogue in Seville: architectural study” (2011):

“These prescriptions clearly imply that the walls of the naves of the church were not demolished and that, for this reason, the Mudejar blind arches are found today in the coronation of said walls. No new arches were turned over the new "red jasper" columns, the arches of the central nave were simply lowered, the old columns, which had no stylistic relationship with the new work, were removed and the new ones were placed. Surely the arches of the nave are the same as those of the "Mudejar" synagogue, trimmed, rounded and covered with plaster mouldings, according to the new taste”.

The synagogue would be transformed into a Christian church at the end of the 14th century, after the violent assault on the Jewish quarter in 1391. It would be at this time that the Gothic doorway would be added, which is still accessed today. However, the church that has come down to us responds mostly to the project for its remodeling promoted by Canon Justino de Neve. The works began in 1662 under the direction of Pedro Sánchez Falconete, who undertook the complete remodeling of which resulted in the baroque temple that we can see today.

It is a church with three naves divided by ten Tuscan columns that support semicircular arches. It is accessed through a tower entrance that opens at the foot of the central nave and has a rectangular floor plan. This is altered by a protruding front, in which the main altar is located, and by three side chapels: the baptismal one at the foot of the temple, the sacramental one on the epistle side, and that of San Juan Nepomuceno on the of the gospel of the head.

The main façade of the church is occupied on its first level by a Gothic portal, with the classic characteristics that this type presents in Sevillian churches: archivolts and diamond-tipped decoration. On this body, you can read the Latin inscription "HAC EST DOMUS DEI ET PORTA COELI 1741" (This is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven). The year 1741 refers to the date of certain minor reforms undertaken in the church, when the façade was also embellished and the inscription was added.

On this first level, in a second body, there are two long windows topped by semicircular arches. Above them is a classic belfry with two levels and behind openings for the bells.

The church has a much simpler front facing Archeros street. It is a simple semicircular arch supported by two stone columns with Late Antique capitals, clearly carried and probably used successively in the preceding mosque and synagogue.

Inside, what most attracts our attention is its intense decorative program, in which every last corner is covered with a combination of plasterwork, painting and sculpture, until configuring a space that as a whole appears as the clearest definition of the famous "horror vacui" of the baroque.

Justino de Neve entrusted the pictorial decoration to Murillo himself and the elaboration of the plasterwork to the brothers Pedro and Borja Roldán. The work begins shortly after the Pontifical Brief of Alexander VII of 1661 was promulgated, in which the devotion and cult of the Immaculate Conception was reaffirmed.

In this way, the iconographic program is as a whole an exaltation of the Eucharist and the Immaculate Virgin, as can be seen as soon as you enter the arch that supports the choir, where it reads Without original sin in the first moment of its being. . Murillo intervened with the realization of five canvases, of which only the oldest, "La Santa Cena", is preserved in the church. The others came to complete the iconographic program we have been talking about, with the "Immaculate Conception", "The Triumph of Faith" and two canvases that narrated the history of the foundation in Rome of the basilica of Santa María de las Nieves, a dedication to which is also dedicated to our church.

Today magnificent copies of the originals can be seen in situ, which unfortunately were the object of the savage looting suffered by the city with the arrival of Napoleonic troops in 1810. Among the stolen works were the four that he stole from Santa María la Blanca . Most of what was looted never returned to the city and is now scattered in museums around the world.

The main altarpiece of the church is Baroque and dates back to around 1690. Its main architectural element is two large Solomonic columns, so characteristic of the Sevillian altarpieces of the 17th century. In the central niche is the titular image of the temple, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, a dress image made by Juan de Astorga at the beginning of the 19th century.

At the lateral ends, the eighteenth-century carvings of Saints Justa and Rufina, patron saints of the city, are located on corbels. In the center of the attic there is another niche that currently houses a rich golden cross, at the foot of which you can see a representation of the Giralda.

At the head of the right hand side we find a Baroque altarpiece from the mid-18th century presided over by the image of "San Pedro en la Cátedra". We see the saint with all the attributes that identify him as the first pontiff of the Church, framed by two child angels holding two of his attributes: the patriarchal cross of the popes and the keys of the Church.

On the wall on this same right side there is a neoclassical altarpiece from the 19th century, presided over by an imposing ensemble of the Trinity. It is the work of the Valencian-born sculptor Blas Molner. On the bench is an interesting small-format Pietà dating from the 18th century.

Also on the right is the sacramental chapel, presided over by an 18th century altarpiece that generally has an image of Saint Joseph from the 17th century in its central niche. On both sides and on a smaller scale, we find the images of Santa Ana and San Joaquin. The altarpiece bench houses a touching "Nativity Scene" made in terracotta, attributed to Cristóbal Ramos.

In the same chapel there is an altarpiece made up of pieces from a previous retable that had been readapted. It houses the images that originally belonged to the old brotherhood of the Sacred Lavatory, which disappeared in 1672 when it merged with the Sacramental of this church. In the center, the Cristo del Mandato, a work in pulp wood, made by Diego García de Santa Ana at the end of the 16th century. On both sides, Nuestra Señora del Pópulo and San Juan, both anonymous images from the 17th century.

In the center of the wall of the left nave (or of the Gospel) we find a valuable original altarpiece from the 16th century, although quite reformed in the 18th century. It frames a large canvas with the representation of "La Piedad", although it has also been identified at times as a "Descent". It is one of the most outstanding artistic pieces in the church, the last known work of Luis de Vargas, one of the most outstanding painters of the Renaissance in Seville. It is dated 1564 and the altarpiece is framed by paintings of San Juan Bautista and San Francisco, also works by Luis de Vargas. At the foot of the altarpiece you can see the tombstone of the family that financed it.

On the same wall is the only work by Murillo that has been preserved in the church: "La Santa Cena", dated 1650. It is possible that the French did not take it away because the truth is that the work is quite far from the traditional painter's style. Here Murillo uses a powerful chiaroscuro, which makes the canvas a tenebrist painting, with the light of the candles as the only illumination on the faces.

On the same wall we find another altarpiece with a modern Sacred Heart and at the bottom of this Gospel nave there is a small chapel behind a grill. In it there is a Baroque altarpiece from the 17th century, with a central image of San Juan Nepomuceno from the same period. On the walls of the chapel there is an interesting "Ecce Homo" from the 16th century, made by an anonymous follower of Luis de Morales. In front of him, an "Annunciation" by Domingo Martínez from the first third of the 18th century.

[mapsmarker map="2"  lat="37.386589" lng="-5.987513" zoom="18" height="300" heightunit="px"]