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The City of Seville in the Middle Ages

By Pearsone Fernandez

| December 6th 2011 | Views:

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Seville became the capital of a bigger kingdom after the reconquest by Fernando III, who remained in Seville until his death in 1251. He was buried in the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de los Reyes. His incorruptible body is still kept in a silver casket. Fernando III was canonized as a saint in 1671.

Alfonso X “El Sabio” (The Wise)

His son Alfonso X The Wise, loved Seville and his subjects loved him too. Alfonso was a lover of art and literature and he himself wrote poems and manuscripts, like Las Cantigas of Saint Maria and The Seven Partitas. He ordered the construction of a church in Triana to the Virgin Mary´s mother, Saint Ana, who had answered his prayer for the healing of his eye problems.

Popular tourist sites of this route are Briviesca (an ancient stone bridge), the Sanctuary of Santa Casilda, the picturesque town of Medina de Pomar, impressive castle of Alcazar and the surrounding monasteries, the middle-aged village of Frias dominated by rock castles, the Romanesque abbey of Puentearenas (built during 11th century), the palace of Sedano and Espinosa de los Monteros, Moradillo de Sedano-the church as well as the famous temple- Rebolledo de la Torre built during 11th century.

Pedro I the Cruel

Notorious is the life of Pedro I, nicknamed The Cruel. Married to Blanca de Bourbon, whom he did not love, he had her lover Prince Fadrique killed in the Royal Alcazar. Pedro I was mad with passion for Maria Fernandez Coronel, a noblewoman of Seville, and so imprisoned and killed her husband Juan de la Cerda. Maria hated Pedro and did not give in to his advances. Such was her virtue that she ended up pouring boiling oil on her own face in order to be disfigured and disliked by the king. The body of Maria lies in the choir of the Convent of Saint Ines.

The legend of the Head of King Pedro I

In 1599, sculptor Marcos Cabrera made a bust of Pedro that can still be seen on a niche on the wall of King Pedro´s Head Street, replacing the old terracotta one. It is said that right in that spot, an elderly woman caught the king doing something terrible and the city was in an uproar. The king promised that the head of the culprit would be hanging in that niche. Later on, a clay bust of the king appeared on the niche, put there by the king himself.

During King Pedro´s reign, a great earthquake shook Seville and caused a lot of destruction.

Saint Mary of la Sede

Seville decided to construct a new cathedral that would be so big that people looking at it would think that the architect was crazy. This Cathedral, Saint Mary of la Sede, became the third largest Gothic church in all Christendom. Its construction involved hundreds of stonemasons, painters, goldsmiths, carpenters and artists.

Pearsone Fernandez - About Author:
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