CHURCH OF THE DIVINE SAVIOR

We know that in the space it occupies today was the so-called Ibn Adabbas Mosque, created around 830 as the main or aljama mosque of the city. It held this rank until the new great mosque was built in the 12th century, in the place 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 start of its minaret, which corresponds to the lower part of the tower that we find at the north 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 like this for centuries, with the architectural characteristics of an Islamic temple but serving for Christian worship, as is still the case today, for example, with the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.

However, already in the 17th century, it seems that its state was quite dilapidated and it was decided to build a new temple. The works began around 1674, but when the closure of the vaults was underway, there was a resounding collapse that forced a good part of the project to be reconsidered.

The direction of the works ended up being entrusted to Leonardo de Figueroa, the best architect of the Sevillian Baroque, who also took part in other projects such as San Luis de los Franceses or La Magdalena. In this case, Figueroa was in charge of closing the vaults, building the great dome and finishing the interior of the building. The works were not completed until 1712.

The result is a huge and majestic temple with three naves. The transept stands out notably in height from the rest, although it is not perceptible in the plan of the building, which is what is called a living room.

The main façade has very classic baroque lines, 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 Archivo de Indias, was built in the 16th century. Despite its monumentality, the El Salvador façade stands out for its sparse decoration, which contrasts sharply with the interior. The decoration with a Plateresque air that covers the pilasters and some of the moldings is relatively recent, from the end of the 19th century.

But in addition to its architecture, the Church of El Salvador, which was Collegiate until 1852, stands out for the magnificent art collection that it treasures. It has some of the most outstanding works of Sevillian altarpieces, beginning with the main altarpiece, dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. It is a work directed by Cayetano de Acosta around 1779, who conceived an exuberant altarpiece, with a baroque profusion close to rococo.

Also magnificent is the altarpiece of the Virgen de las Aguas, 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”, dated around the 13th century but much remodeled later. These are just two examples of the large collection of altarpieces that this church houses.

And it is that 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.

From the first, El Salvador preserves a colossal sculpture of San Cristóbal, reminiscent of Michelangelo due to its monumentality and beauty. But the most outstanding work of this author in El Salvador is surely Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Pasión, a moving image of the Lord with the cross on his back, which marvelously shows the classicism of the Montañés 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 do not exaggerate when saying that it is one of the most accomplished representations of Jesus Nazareno in the Spanish Baroque.

From the other great master of the Sevillian baroque, Juan de Mesa, we find the Cristo del Amor, who also takes a procession from this temple during Holy Week, this time on Palm Sunday. It is an exceptional size of the crucified, already dead, with a masterful treatment of the anatomy, hair and cloth. An exceptional work within the production of its author, who seems to have taken into account for its realization the model that his teacher Montañés made a few years before with the Cristo de la Clemencia that we found in the Cathedral.

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

ARCHBISHOP’S PALACE

by Manuel Hellín

Elements of the chapel are preserved from the first half of this century, such as the wooden roof and the tile frieze, as well as a gallery with marble columns dating from around 1530.

However, it can be considered that the configuration of the palace as it has come down to us corresponds to the reconstruction undertaken under the direction of Vedmondo Resta between the end of the 16th century and the 17th century. It was then that the distribution of the different rooms and rooms around two main patios was configured.

The magnificent Baroque doorway that faces the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes was carved by Lorenzo Fernández de Iglesias around 1704. It stands out for its great dynamism and decorative richness, constituting one of the best examples of this style in Seville.

In the main courtyard there is a fountain presided over by a sculpture representing 'Hercules with the Nemean Lion'. In the same courtyard, a beautiful Baroque doorway dating from 1666 gives access to the Archbishop's Archive, which houses valuable documentary collections.

From an artistic point of view, the most interesting rooms are located on the top floor around the second patio. They are accessed by a monumental staircase, with a single shot and three sections, which is crowned by a dome with the shield of Archbishop Antonio Paino. The pictorial decoration of the staircase was carried out by Juan de Espinal, with the exception of the paintings of the pendentives and the semicircular areas, which were already made in the 20th century.

The main hall of the palace is covered with a ceiling divided into sixty squares with a series of paintings from the Old Testament interspersed with emblems and shields. They were made at the beginning of the 17th century by two authors who have not been identified. As a whole, they make up a moralizing message about the values and virtues that prelates should possess.

In addition to the paintings on the ceiling, the living room exhibits a very interesting collection of paintings by various authors. We find, for example, an apostolate attributed to Sebastián Llanos Valdés, a series of sixteen Biblical-themed paintings by Juan de Zamora and another ten on the Passion of Christ by Juan de Espinal. To these must be added a series of paintings of saints from Zurbarán's workshop, a work by Murillo representing 'The Virgin delivering the Rosary to Saint Dominic' and a 'Slayed Saint John the Baptist' by Mattia Pretti.

Also of great value are the works of the so-called Gallery of the Prelate, presided over by one of the oldest works in the Palace, an Immaculate Conception from the end of the 16th century by Cristóbal Gómez. Next to it, a series of paintings from Venetian workshops and copies by various Italian authors dating from around 1600 are exhibited. They represent allegories of the elements and the seasons, as well as episodes from the story of Noah.

The collection of portraits of Sevillian archbishops also deserves mention for its historical value, with the representation of more than seventy archbishops from the 17th century to the present.

In other smaller rooms there is a large collection of Sevillian painting, with works by authors such as Herrera el Viejo, Juan de Espinal, Francisco Pacheco or Murillo. They are interspersed with works by various foreign authors, such as the Dutch Abraham Willaert or Carel Van Savoy, who produced a series on the life of David.

The main chapel of the palace is presided over by a main altarpiece from the 18th century made by the great sculptor of Portuguese origin, Cayetano de Acosta. It is presided over by a beautiful image of the Immaculate Conception made by the same author, who also carried out the four side altarpieces of the chapel, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist.

In addition to the main chapel, the palace has an oratory designed by Pedro Sánchez Falconete in the mid-17th century. In it, the vault stands out above all, decorated with plasterwork attributed to Pedro de Borja.

HAITI ROUNDABOUT

by Manuel Hellín

This gazebo has kept its original appearance since it was placed in the Garden of Earthly Delights around 1864. It was made up of a series of 18th-century sculptures and pedestals from the Archiepiscopal Palace of Umbrete. It has an elliptical shape and delimiting its contour there was a continuous marble bench with a metal back. The pedestals are in the Rococo style and were made by the eighteenth-century sculptor of Portuguese origin, Cayetano de Acosta. The busts are replicas of the Italian originals that were here for more than a century and that were returned to Umbrete in 2006. They represent a series of Roman characters depicted in a beautiful baroque style. In the center of the gazebo there is a marble fountain with an octagonal vase. The fountain is a replica of the original from the 18th century that is now in the Fuente del Estanque, in this same garden.

SCULPTURE TO THE GOD PAN

by Manuel Hellín

Pan was the Greek god of shepherds and flocks, especially revered in the Arcadian region. He was identified with Faun in Roman mythology. He was depicted mixing human and animal features, with legs, tail, and ram's horns. Here we see him resting on a trunk, with striking hooves for feet, in an Italian sculpture from the 18th century from the Archbishop's Palace in Umbrete. It is made of marble and measures approximately 1.60 m. It sits on a pedestal also made in the 18th century by Cayetano de Acosta, about 2 m high and in a Rococo style.

SCULPTURES OF AVENIDA DEL LÍBANO

by Manuel Hellín

HIGH HALL OR SALÓN ALTO

by Manuel Hellín

This set is made up of a rectangular base with a slatted floor that is raised by means of a three-step tier. In the corners are a series of four Rococo pedestals made by Cayetano de Acosta in the 18th century. On them we see four vases made of artificial stone. They are replicas of those made for the Jardines de Cristina, in front of the Palacio de San Telmo. They were arranged here during the remodeling of the garden undertaken in 2007. Originally, a series of sculptures representing the Greek gods Apollo, Zeus, Ares and Hera were located on the pedestals, all of which have now disappeared.

FOUNTAIN OF NEPTUNE CHILD

by Manuel Hellín

Baroque sculpture from the 18th century, made in Italy and from the Archiepiscopal Palace of Umbrete. It is a child figure of 1.70 m. approximately, holding a sea shell in an attitude of touching it. It is not clear if it is a representation of Neptune, the Roman god of the seas, or of his son Triton, who was believed to be capable of calming or fanning a storm by touching the shell. The marble vase of the fountain is 2.60 m in diameter and, like the mosaic that surrounds it, has an octagonal shape.

MONUMENT TO VENUS

by Manuel Hellín