
No matter how hard the tourist tries, he will rarely come across those magical places in Seville, the kind of corners that cities always keep for a second visit, secret places that embellish the most unknown Seville. Even some of these places do not seem to be found in Seville.
And the fact is that even the locals are often unaware of some of the treasures that their city treasures. The following lines do not escape the small details and unravel the hidden gems of Seville, 17 secret places to get lost and be amazed.
1. The alley of the kiss
2. Hotel Casas la Judería
A group of palace houses hidden in the heart of the Jewish quarter of Seville, some of them have more than 5 centuries of history. Nowadays, this magical space is a hotel with an incredible decoration and its own spa.
If you did not know this corner, you should know that Stephen King stayed here. Of all the secrets of Seville, this is the most complicated to know, because for that you must stay in this complex.
3. Atarazanas
In the past they were the shipbuilding industry owned by the Crown of Castile in the city and were in operation between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. Their specialty was the construction of galleys. Of the seventeen original ships that existed, today only seven remain. It is also one of the most iconic scenes of the series ‘Game of Thrones’.
4. Palace of the Countess of Lebrija
Although it is one of the palaces that can be visited in Seville, its rich heritage often goes unnoticed and not many have dropped by the Palace of the Countess of Lebrija. A central jewel, of Cultural Interest, Historical Heritage of Spain and, in addition, the “best paved house-palace in Europe”.
5. The crocodile of the Cathedral
The Cathedral of Seville hides four quite anomalous objects. At least for those who still do not know all the secret places of Seville. Specifically, the Patio de los Naranjos sports a wooden crocodile, an elephant tusk, a bit or bridle (apparently from a horse) and a command staff. What are all these items doing here?
While there are several legends that try to shed light on the enigma, none of them hold water. We detail them in this article.
6. Almohad Haman in the Giralda Bar
Just a few meters from the cathedral, in the iconic Mateos Gago was hidden for years an undisputed jewel of Seville. Specifically, it happened with the remodeling carried out by the regionalist architect Vicente Traver in the early twentieth century to convert the building into a hotel; the Almohad haman of the twelfth century was hidden, preserved and protected until now. In short, it is one of those places to see in Seville that are out of the ordinary.
7. Cabildo Square
This semicircular square is accessed from the Avenida de la Constitución and Arfe Street. It is currently the headquarters of philately and numismatics in Seville due to the Sunday market. Sunday flea market in the 80’s. One of those open secrets that Seville hides between streets and bends.
8. San Luis de los Franceses
In September 2016 the church of San Luis de los Franceses was inaugurated after years of restoration. That was quite an event and, since then, it has hosted cool activities such as the Bienal de Flamenco. Its interior is a real jewel of Sevillian baroque that is worth admiring.
9. Artillery Factory
This huge building for industrial use is located on Eduardo Dato Avenue. It was created as a place to manufacture armaments on a continuous basis. It was founded in the year 1565 and is listed as an Asset of Cultural Interest. It is worth going into the building just to see its vaults, or the houses with gardens of the factory engineers.
10. Santa Marta Square
This small square hidden in the historic center surprises everyone who enters it, as it is as if time had stopped in this small corner of Seville. It is named after the disappeared Santa Marta Hospital. Before 1980 a Sunday flea market of philately and numismatics was installed here. One of the three portals in the square is the access to the convent of the Encarnación.
11. Green Street
If you have ever wandered around the Jewish Quarter – something we would not be surprised to see – you have probably passed through this pedestrian street that links Menéndez Pelayo Avenue with Céspedes Street. It does not stand out for great monuments or imposing facades, quite the contrary: its narrowness, its traditional architecture and its abundant vegetation that provides shade to pedestrians are its hallmarks.
12. Moroccan Pavilion
Expo ’92 gave us this architectural jewel that today is the Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation. This building was donated by the Kingdom of Morocco and represents a great sample of Moroccan art.
13. Monastery of San Jerónimo
The Monastery of San Jeronimo is one of the little known corners of Seville, one of the best kept secrets of the city that is about to be put at the service of the Sevillian.
The Monastery of San Jeronimo dates back to the 15th century and housed one of the most important printing presses in the territory. Despite being declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, with the category of Historic-Artistic Monument since 1964 and being protected by the PGOU in a grade B, this project of rehabilitation of the cloister is the largest intervention on this space.
In the past, it was one of the most powerful monasteries in Seville due to the great support it received from the monarchy and the highborn families who defrayed the costs of this monumental work. However, the disentailment of Mendizábal plunged the building into an agony that lasted until the 20th century. Since the City Council acquired the property in 1984, only a few works were executed on the occasion of the Expo of 1992.
14. Roman columns on Marble Street
These three columns belong to an ancient Roman temple and is one of the few remaining vestiges of the ancient Colonia Iulia Romula in Seville, better known at the time as Hispalis.
Currently this temple is known as the Temple of the Calle Marmoles and it has not yet been possible to determine what its function was, since there are certain indications that it could be a portico of access to a monumental area dedicated to the Liber Pater.
At first there were six columns in this street. However, the other two were moved to the Alameda de Hércules by order of Don Francisco Zapata Cisneros, Count of Barajas, in 1578.
15. Alley of the Inquisition
Next to the Castle of San Jorge is this narrow alley of 35 meters that communicates with the Paseo de la O. Prisoners who were either going to be tried or who had already been condemned and were taken to the stake were led through it.
16. Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art
In Seville art is not limited to Seville and Velázquez and other great names of the Baroque. There are also other equally interesting art exhibitions to understand the present and reflect on the future. That’s why a visit to the Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art is a must and even more so when you know that it is among the original sites of Seville.
17. Pantheon of Illustrious Sevillians
It is located in the crypt of the church of the Annunciation of Seville. This arose from the initiative of Dean López Cepero and the authorities of the University of Seville as a place to accommodate the remains and funerary motifs that came from other temples that had been damaged by the French troops.
Some of the illustrious Sevillians who rest here are the Ponce de León family , Francisco Duarte de Mendicoa and his wife, Catalina de Alcocer, José Gestoso and the Bécquer brothers.