PLAZAS

The Torre del Oro, or tower of gold, is the most famous of many towers built by the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties of southern Spain, a twelve-sided defensive tower, built in the 13th century of golden-brown sandstone. The origin of the name, and it's purpose are in dispute, some say it derives from the golden color of the stone, and the gold of the azulejo tiles in it's decorations, others maintain that it was a toll station and storage warehouse for gold from the New World. Still others suggest that it held one end of a chain, that could be stretched across the river, to a similar tower on the other side.
The tower is a tall twelve-sided structure with arched peephole windows at the ground level, and large arched windows with balustrades at the main story, where the toll station was located. The third story has smaller arched windows for offices, and above this is a broad cornice with inset arches and false windows, and battlements at the top, where an observation platform gives commanding views of the city and the river. In the middle another twelve-sided tower rises to another smaller viewing platform at the top of the tower, where there is a turret guard house with a small dome.

The Alcazar is a series of fortified palaces built by the Almohad and Christian kings of Sevilla in the 12th-13th centuries, at the southern end of the old city, where most of the great monuments are located. The entire complex, including extensive and magnificent gardens, is surrounded by tall, thick walls, that block it off from the noise and bustle of the city, creating a haven of peace, greenery and solitude. The gardens lie on the south side of the palace complex, and include formal and geometric plantings, as well as wilder, more romantic areas, a large topiary labyrinth and an open air theater. This view is from the eastern side of the grounds, looking towards the backdrop of the theater.

The oldest parts of the Alcazar are 12th century Almohad, at the northern end of the complex, of which only the Patio del Yeso remains. Further south, across the Patio del Crucero is a Gothic palace, dating from the time of the conquest by the Christians under Fernando III in 1248. West of this is the Mudejar palace, built under Pedro I, who was also called Pedro the Cruel. This view is looking north into the courtyard of the Mudejar palace from it's southern arcade.
The courtyard is surrounded by regular and symetrical arcades, with the central arch on each side being taller and more prominent. At the second story there is a continuous arcaded gallery of round arches on single and paired columns with a balustrade. The pointed arches at the first story are 'angrelado', which is a typical Mudejar motif, where smaller lobe-like arches are set on the inside of the arch. The space above the arches contains 'ataurique' plaster work, intricate interlaced natural and geometric tracery, characteristic of Islamic architecture.

The Plaza de la Allianza lies at the north-west corner of the Juderia, the old Jewish quarter of Sevilla, and it forms the entrance to the district from the monumental core of the city. It's an irregularly shaped plaza with several subsidiary spaces, and from here the narrow, winding alleys lead into the many secret and jewel-like places that are the most distinctive feature of this district. The Juderia is east of the Alcazar and is roughly bounded by the Alcazar to the west, the Jardines de Murillo to the south, the Calle de Santa Maria la Blanca to the east and the Calle Mateos Gago to the north.

The Plaza de Cruces lies at the eastern end of Santa Cruz, one block west of the Calle de Santa Maria la Blanca. It is a small, triangular space with a square pedestal of three steps in the center, which holds three ancient stone columns bearing crosses, giving the plaza it's name. The columns are set in a triangle opposite to the plaza, and they are surrounded by a square iron fence with lampposts at the corners. The crosses on the columns are ornamental wrought iron, with the center cross and column being larger than the other two.
This view is looking to the south-east from the point of the triangle in Calle de Cruces. The buildings surrounding the plaza are residential, and there are no arcades. The pavement is slightly sloped to the south, or towards the back of the picture, and this becomes apparent in the first step of the pedestal, as it gets taller on the sides. The yellow three story house with roof terrace was for rent at the time. The narrow alley on the left goes through to the south to the Plaza Refinadores.

The Plaza de Santa Cruz is in the heart of the Jewish quarter, one block north of the Jardines de Murillo, and two blocks west of the Calle de Santa Maria la Blanca. It is a gracious, rectangular space with a raised oval garden in the center, which is surrounded by hedges and covered by trees. The garden is accessed by stairs all around, and it contains circulating and radiating paths paved with red brick and inset with blue and white tiles. At the center is a stepped brick pedestal, supporting a wrought iron kiosk with a vaulted top, which comes together at the center into an elaborate ornamental cross.

In the southern corner of Santa Cruz, and up against the massive walls of the Alcazar, where they form an inside corner, there are a series of spaces and plazas along the Calle de Vida, the street of life, and the Callejon de Agua, the alley of water. These have collectively come to be known as Vida y Agua, or life and water. The space in this view is west of the Calle de Vida, on the Calle de Juderia, and it connects to the Patio de Banderas through the archway in the center of the picture. On the left is the reddish brown wall of the Alcazar, overgrown with creeping ivy, and below the ivy there is a fountain in the corner, with gently trickling water that fills the space with sound. The white tower in the middle marks the north-east corner of the Alcazar.
Andalusia and Sevilla are somewhat like southern California in the architecture of the four ecologies, fertile rolling hills facing to the south-west, earth, air and sun are there, all one needs to add are life and water, and it will flower exuberantly with little assistance. And when it is cared for and given some attention, it becomes the fantastic, magical garden of Mediterranean delights.

It was Easter the last time I went to Sevilla, and one morning there was a procession, where they carried a large statue of the Maria, made of silver, out of the church of Santa Maria la Blanca, and through the streets and into the cathedral. It was a large statue of silver, fully dressed and decorated, which they had been working on for months, and it took about 20 people to carry it on a large platform. They had to take breaks every two or three blocks. And when they had finally brought the Maria into the cathedral, they rang all the bells for a long time.

The Cathedral of Sevilla is an enormous Gothic structure, that was built over Mooorish foundations, which were probably based on Roman underpinnings. It is a large basilica, 116 by 76 meters, with five aisles and a tall transept, and a number of subsidiary chapels and structures on the south side, as well as the fine Moorish Patio de los Naranjos, the patio of orange trees, on the north side.
The Giralda stands at the north-east corner of the cathedral, but it is an earlier, separate structure, built by the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century, as the monumental minaret of the Great Mosque. It is an austere, square brick tower, 98 meters high, on Roman ashlars at the base. It was such a fine tower, that the Christians chose to preserve it, and in 1565 they added the loggia of square columns for the bells. At the top is another square tower with a single arch on each side, crowned by a lantern with a statue of 'La Fe', faith, known locally as 'El Giraldillo'.
This view is looking west towards the Giralda about half way down the Calle Mateos Gago, which is one of the more interesting areas in town, but unfortunately, also rather tourist ridden. But in Sevilla almost everyone is a tourist, and the wonders never cease.