Sevilla Capital City
Seville, Pearl of the South. Basking in temperate spring sunshine, the ancient walls of the city almost ooze romance.
It was to this place that the great treasure ships from the New World sailed after discovery of the Americas in 1492. Huge galleons would navigate the length of the Guadalquivir river.
Huge Spanish galleons would navigate the length of the Guadalquivir river, their sailors starved of human contact after several weeks at sea, and unload their spoils at one of the most beautiful and fortunate docks in the world. This was the city prized by the Moors for its gentleness and beauty.
Roots - Seville
Seville was the city that, after the Reconquest in 1492, expelled all its Jewish residents although many of them had converted to Christianity in order to conform to the ruthlessness of the era.
A city of contrasts, Seville embraces the modern yet preserves the ancient ways. In the week of Semana Santa, the heady aroma of coffee and orange blossom permeates the streets. Heaving, throbbing masses of laughing, sweltering people pulsate down the narrow streets forming a human river that drags everything in its path.
And yet, the night air is heavy with the scent of wild roses, fruiting oranges and expectancy.
The discovery of the Americas by Europeans in the early Middle Ages marked the beginning of the epoch of splendour for Seville and the city became known as the Gateway to the Indies. It was to this place that the legendary wealth of the Aztecs and Incas was transported after the conquest of the Americas. Merchants from all over Europe gathered here, not only to take advantage of the inflow of fabulous wealth but also to live in the gentle surroundings of the south of Spain.
Seville was chosen as the main port of arrival for the treasure fleets for several reasons; first for its location, as it was inland and therefore easy to protect from marauding pirates. Secondly, because of the ready availability of fresh food and provisions for the frequent fleets that plied the Atlantic between South America and Europe.
The happenings of this period of time is well recorded due to the inception of the House of Trade (Casa de Contratación) - an organisation that was established to catalogue and record all information concerning the fleets, their cargo and a plethora of detailed information of the times. This information includes detailed listings of information such as as gold statues that were melted down for the Spanish mint, plans of buildings and maps of settlements, lists of baptised Indians and even complaints against officials.
By the end of the fifteenth century, however, Seville's attraction as a destination became diminished. Its location, some 80 kilometres from the coast, became too difficult to access for ocean going vessels. Couple this with the treacherous head waters in the Guadalqivir delta and it is understandable that the influence of the city began to decline as fleets were forced to use the deep water sea port of Cadiz.
Where to Stay in Seville
There are many places to stay in Seville. And the choices are legion. Check out our own choices from those nice people at Booking.com. For every order you make through our site, we get a small commission. You, of course, pay nothing extra..
Travel to Sevilla
General Travel
A great Website for all travel to Spain is edreams
Airlines that fly to Seville
Iberia, Ryanair, Air Europa, Vueling Airlines, Air Berlin
International:
Iberia, Ryanair, Vueling Airlines, Air Berlin, TAP airlines, Air France, Royal Air Maroc, British Airways, American Airlines, EasyJet, TUIfly, Transavia, US Airways, Brussels Airlines, Transavia France, bmi, Avianca, Finnair
Feria of Seville
The Feria of Seville takes place is held in the capital city of Andalusia and usually begins around two weeks after the Holy Week or Semana Santa.
The festivities usually begin (calendar permitting) at midnight on the Monday, and run for six days, 24 hours a day and ending on the following Sunday. Although there is always an unofficial programme in each of the 10,000 or more casetas, or private marquee tents, each day the festivities begin with a parade of horses, carriages and riders. This starts at midday and involves most of the leading citizens of Seville (or anyone who wants to be seen) who then make their way to the bullring, La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighters, bulls and those who like that sort of thing meet.
For the duration of the fair, the fairgrounds and a vast area on the southern bank of the Guadalquivir River are buried in rows of these casetas and the whole area is awash with humanity. Some of these casetas belong to prominent families of Seville, some to groups of friends, clubs, trade associations or political parties. There are some public casetas but the majority are private, by invitation only. However, from around nine at night until six or seven the following morning there are crowds partying and dancing, usually the local traditional dance known as the "Sevillanas". The night is marked by the consumption of tonnes of tapas and gallons of Jerez sherry or manzanilla, a special fine wine from Cádiz.
The Feria of Seville dates back to 1847 where it had its origins as a livestock fair. The idea was dreamed up by two local councilors born in Northern Spain; a Basque, José María Ybarra and a Catalan Narciso Bonaplata. The first feria was held on the 18 April 1847 at the Prado de San Sebastian, originally on the outskirts of the city, now in the centre of the town and too small to hold the number of casetas of today.
The feria is still going strong and, indeed is growing in influence. Plans are afoot to change its location from where it is held now to a new one even further outside of the city. The plans are a long way off still.
Holy Week in Seville
Holy Week in Seville or Semana Santa is perhaps the most important traditional event of the city and one of the most important cultural appointments of the Spanish calendar. It is celebrated in the week leading up to Easter (Holy Week among Christians), and is a celebration of Christianity like no other.
The whole week features processions of pasos, or floats that carry lifelike and life size wooden sculptures of individual scenes from the week of Passion. There are countless images of the Virgin Mary showing restrained grief for the torture and killing of her Son and others of key moments in his arrest and subsequent crucifixion. Some of the sculptures are very old, dating from the XVI century and are not only beautifully crafted but are also considered artistic masterpieces. They are also of huge cultural and spiritual importance to the local population.
During Holy Week, the city is crowded with residents and visitors, drawn by the spectacle and atmosphere. An additional million people crowd into the narrow streets and the impact of events as they unfold is particularly intense for the Catholic community.
The processions are organized by hermandades and cofradías. These are religious brotherhoods which prepare all year from this one week. During the processions, members precede the pasos of floats (of which there can be up to three in each procession) dressed in penitential robes and character subsuming hoods. On most of these processions brass bands accompany each step; the music of these bands ricochets off the walls of the narrow streets evoking intense emotion amongst spectators.
The processions work along a designated route from their home churches and chapels and end up at the Cathedral. Here they pass through a central viewing area and then make their torturous way back to their church. Processions from the areas outside the city centre may take up to 14 hours to return to their home churches.
Processions are scheduled throughout Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday morning. The climax of the week is the night of Holy Thursday, when the most popular processions set out to arrive at the Cathedral on the dawn of Good Friday. This is when Jesús de Gran Poder sets forth, an event that is greeted with hushed streets and glistening tears.
