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This is a wonderful tour through the history of Seville from the city as port and gateway of the New World during Spain’s age of splendour, with the Hospital de la Caridad as a fine example of 17th century Baroque, to the city that hosted the Universal Exhibition Expo’92, showcasing the new image of Spain, as a modern, democratic, plural society, to the rest of the world. The last stop on the tour is Casa Pilatos.
The 1992 Seville Universal Exposition was an initiative of HM King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who, in a historic speech, launched the idea of Spain hosting a great exhibition to celebrate the fifth centenary of the Discovery of America, with a view to fostering “dialogue among peoples and cultural exchange as a means of promoting understanding and solidarity". The area of Seville known as Isla de la Cartuja was an expanse of wasteland at that time and proved to be an ideal site for the last Universal Exhibition of the 20th century. The whole area was completely renovated and beautifully landscaped with avenues, gardens, bridges, avant-garde architecture and futuristic pavilions, which are sure to amaze you.
The Hermandad de la Caridad (Brotherhood of Charity), which dates back to the Middle Ages, was founded as a charity to bury those who drowned in the river and those who were put to death. Its Hospital de la Caridad is a magnificent late-Baroque building built on the site of the former shipyards that Alfonso X, the Learned King, ordered to be built.
Miguel de Mañara, who was from a wealthy Italian family, which had settled in Seville, was head of the brotherhood, under whom the institution developed considerably. It was in fact the figure of Miguel de Mañara that inspired writers to create the character of Don Juan Tenorio. In the church, there are paintings by Seville’s finest 17th century artists, Valdés Leal and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
Casa Pilatos is a palace that belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Medinaceli. Work began on the building in 1500 by order of Pedro Enrique and his wife Doña Catalina de Ribera, when they returned from a trip to Jerusalem, following the design of the palace where Pontius Pilate had lived. The palace is adorned with marble and Plateresque and Mudejar features. The style is mainly Renaissance, and outstanding features include the main courtyard surrounded by arcades and embellished by statues of the goddesses Ceres, Minerva and Athena. |
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