Being a holy day we decided to devote it mostly to visiting churches. We managed to fit in the Iglesia de la Magdalena; the Capilla de San José, named in honour of the famous carpenter Joseph; Iglesia del Divino Salvador, one of Seville’s grandest churches, built on the site of the mosque of Ibn Addabas; Iglesia de la Anunciación, with a macabre-looking crypt where many of the city’s governors are buried. As we have come to expect, most of the churches are magnificent inside, with frescoed ceilings and such detailed presbyteries that it was all too much for the eye to take in.
The majority of our time was spent in the Alcazar. Originally built as a fortress for the Moorish caliphs in AD 712, it later became the residence of many Christian monarchs following the expulsion of the Moors. We spent hours wandering through the many ornate rooms and courtyards, then made our way into the peaceful and lush gardens.
Our last stop for the day was the Hospice of the Venerable Ones, built in 1675 as a retirement home for aged priests and today maintained as a museum. We found it plant- embellished and spirit-reviving - the only nursing home we’d ever consider living in. It also has a beautiful chapel and a small gallery of paintings from a few of the great Spanish masters of the seventeenth century, with the most famous portrait being the Santa Rufina by Diego Velazquez. This masterpiece was procured for a hefty 12.5 million Euros in 2007.
Finally, the long walk back to our hotel, savouring the sights, sounds and smells. A soak in the bath and an early dinner are in order, because:
Tomorrow: the long train journey to Valencia.
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