It goes without saying that Seville is one of the flattest cities in the country, with a few easily navigable exceptions such as the Santa Justa hill and the street we are discussing here, which is named after its slope: Cuesta del Rosario. Located in the old town, it is much more than a link between Plaza del Salvador, Alfalfa, and Pescadería. It is a living vestige of Seville’s urban evolution, whose name and appearance conceal centuries of history.
Cuesta del Rosario: origin of its name and its “unique” slope
According to 19th-century chronicler Félix González de León, the street’s name comes from an old altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary. This is recorded in the work Noticia histórica del origen de los nombres de las calles de esta ciudad de Sevilla (Historical news of the origin of the names of the streets of this city of Seville)(available here).
The name Rosario comes from an ancient altarpiece, which forms a chapel above an archway, where a beautiful carved image of Our Lady of the Rosary is venerated.
In the same text by the 19th-century writer, this environment is seen as a geographical anomaly. González de León pointed out that this was the only street in Seville that was truly “on a slope,” as the rest of the inclines in the area were so slight that they were almost imperceptible to the walker.
It is located in district B and in the parish of El Salvador. It is called a slope because it is, and quite steep at that, and the only one in this city.
It is interesting to note that in the past, before the urban expansion of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Cuesta del Rosario was so narrow that at its highest point it could barely accommodate one person.
So narrow that at the top there is barely room for a single person. It winds around several times, always climbing so steeply that in its immediate vicinity there are steps to climb. Its houses are very poor and strange, because in some you have to go down many steps to enter, and in others you have to climb up; in others, a boy can barely fit through the door. In short, everything is strange.
From Roman Hispalis to Holy Week
The importance of this enclave is not insignificant. Its roots go back to ancient times, as this area was the site of the Roman forum of ancient Híspalis. Also known historically as “la Costanilla,” the street has been a silent witness to the transformation of the city since its founding.
Today, Cuesta del Rosario has lost its narrowness but has gained social and religious prominence. It is a key point in Seville’s Holy Week, where numerous brotherhoods test the skills of their costaleros (float bearers) as they navigate the slope. It is part of the itinerary of glories and, occasionally, of the cathedral’s Corpus Christi.