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| The entrance to the Alcazar complex is through the Lion's Gate |
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 Seville
Our first stop on our tour, after walking through the gardens and the pedestrian neighborhoods, was the Real Alcazar – a palace of palaces and a unique complex. Since the Middle Ages, this walled enclosure has been a residence for kings of different eras, each leaving their architectural legacy. Even today, it is the official residence in Seville of the Kings of Spain, which makes this fortified space the oldest active royal palace in Europe.
The Alcázar of Seville has always been used as lodging for kings and other ruler. It is made up of different buildings from different eras. The original fortification was built on an old Roman site, and then was used by the Visigoths. Later it became a Paleochristian basilica (San Vicente Mártir), where San Isidro (Saint Isodore) was buried.
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| Courtyard of the Lions and entrance with three Romanesque arches representing the oldest walls in the Alcazar |
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| The three arches (from the 11th C) and the Courtyard of the Monteria |
The Real Alcázar of Seville began to take on its present appearance after the Arabs took over the city in the year 713. One of the palaces that surrounds two courtyards is of the same era as the Alhambra of Granada. To carry out the work, important craftsmen were sent by the Nasrid King Mohamed V. After the reconquest of the city, in 1248, by the Christians, it was inhabited by successive monarchs. Alfonso X the Wise made the first reforms, creating three large Gothic salons. Pedro I later decided to build the wonderful Mudéjar Palace.
The gardens of the Alcázar are famous for their terraces, with a multitude of orange and palm trees, and fountains and pavilions. The gardens were used as the location for the Kingdom of Dorne in the Game of Thrones series.
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| The Courtyard of the Monteria and the entrance to the Mudejar Palace of Pedro I (~1350) |
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| Entrance to the Mudejar Palace of Pedro I |
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| Interior arches and columns of the Courtyard of the Monteria - where the hunting parties would gather |
The Mudejarin architecture in the main palace designed by Pedro I was Christian, but was built by Moorish artisans. The styles mix the two traditions. For the construction of the monumental facade of his palace, Don Pedro, a Christian king, counted on Muslim craftsmen who had remained in a territory that was now under Christian rule. The artisans were called Mudejars, hence the name of the architectural style. Islamic art was admired in the region, even among members of other religions. Thus, Pedro I asked his friend the Nazari sultan of Granada, Muhammad V, ruler of the Alhambra, to bring him the best artists who were working there. In collaboration with Mudejars, they created this great work in which Christian and Muslim elements are combined: Islamic schematic vegetal decoration of Muslim taste mixed with shields of Castile, Leon and the Order of the Band, all symbols of King Don Pedro.
The frieze that crowns the windows of the façade of the palace entrance is a prime example of this stylistic mixture. In the center there is a beautiful inscription in Arabic made of white and blue ceramic where the motto of the Nasrid of Granada repeats, "And no victor but Allah", surrounded by another motto in Castilian language (Spanish) associated with Christianity, where the door tells the visitors that its builder was "the very high and very noble and very powerful conqueror Don Pedro". The Christian and Muslim tiles and art exist in the same place.
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| Our guide Lydia telling us the history of the Alcazar |
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| Moorish decorations of the facade of the entrance to the Palace of Pedro I |
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| Blue tile details - Islamic script about Allah and Spanish writing about Don Pedro, the King |
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| The Moorish decorations (nature and abstract) interspersed with Christian lions, castles and heralds |
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| Looking across the Courtyard of the Monteria to the Moorish arches and the Giralda |
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