The Patio de las Doncellas (Maidens Courtyard) is the center of the Palace of Pedro I in the Alcázar of Seville. This palace was built in the mid-14th century, replacing earlier Muslim constructions and is probably the most outstanding example of all Mudejar civil architecture.
Around this patio the spaces with a public purpose are articulated, while around the small Patio de las Munecas the palatial rooms are arranged with a more private character.
The ground floor corresponds to the original work of the 14th century, while the upper gallery responds to the reforms undertaken in the 16th century in Renaissance style.
This magnificent courtyard is surrounded by a gallery of polylobed arches, adopting one of the most characteristic decorative forms of Almohad art. The central arches on each side are larger, highlighting the main axes of the patio. They all rest on precious marble columns in the Corinthian style, brought from Genoa during the Renaissance to replace the original brick pillars.
The decoration is based on stucco, following the diamond-shaped pattern, comparable in style and quality to similar works from Córdoba or Granada. Among the ornamental motifs we see some as characteristic as the shell, a symbol of fertility, or the hand of Fatima, which symbolizes protection. All of them framed in a rich composition of geometric and plant motifs.
