Royal Alcazar of Seville Tour

Royal Alcazar of Seville Tour 

History of the Royal Alcazar

The Royal Alcazar complex is one of the most important monuments in the city of Seville. It is located next to the charming neighborhood of Santa Cruz, the majestic Seville Cathedral, and the historical Archive of the Indies. Its origins date back to the High Middle Ages when Abd al-Rahman III ordered the construction of a new fortified enclosure to house the rulers of the city, the fortress called Dar al-Imara.

Over the centuries, it was expanded and enriched with new palaces and gardens. Among them, we can highlight the Gothic Palace built by Alfonso X and the Mudéjar Palace erected by King Pedro I. The result is a magnificent palace complex where we can admire the cultural fusion between Islamic and Castilian architecture, with a clear influence from the buildings of the Alhambra in Granada.

The Royal Alcazar served as inspiration for King Alfonso X in writing his “Cantigas.” It witnessed the silent horror of how King Pedro I murdered his brother and was the birthplace of Juan de Aragon, son of the Catholic Monarchs. This unique setting of legends is enriched by wonderful gardens with numerous exotic plants, where oranges bloom, and water flows joyfully in fountains and ponds. These gardens have also served as a setting for the TV series “Game of Thrones” as the Gardens of Dorne.

Today, the Royal Alcazar serves as a venue for multiple cultural activities, such as open-air music festivals with flamenco concerts and night tours. So, if you ever visit Seville, don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in the fascinating history and beauty of the Royal Alcazar.

El Patio del Yeso (The Plaster Courtyard)

El Patio del Yeso is a rectangular patio with a pool in the center and various rooms distributed around it. To the right of the courtyard, we find a 12th-century portico, which is a true jewel of Almohad art from the time of the Giralda. In front, we find three horseshoe arches related to Caliphal art, and perhaps to the most primitive period of the Alcázar.

Next, the Justice Room constitutes the first example of Mudéjar Art in the Alcázar. King Alfonso XI built it, and his son Pedro I used it as a courtroom to administer justice, sometimes in a cruel manner, as the legends tell…

The Mudéjar Palace of Pedro I is a true gem of cultural fusion, with its wonderful façade built by master craftsmen from Seville, Granada, and Toledo. Inscriptions on the palace walls speak of Pedro I as a great conqueror and of Allah as victorious. The palace covers an area of over 2,500 square meters, and its labyrinthine corridors lead us to the Patio de las Doncellas, the heart of the palace’s public life.

In this rectangular courtyard, we find a pool and two landscaped areas at different levels, covered with marble slabs that have survived to this day. The influence of the Renaissance is also evident in the palace’s upper floor and its columns of Genoese origin.

Entering the private areas, we will visit the chapel where Charles V married Isabel of Portugal and see the private rooms of María de Padilla and the princesses, as well as the bedrooms of the Catholic Monarchs where Prince Juan, the only son of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, was born in 1478.

The exquisite Patio de las Muñecas, the center of the palace’s private life, showcases magnificent columns and capitals of Medina Azahara, even though it has been remodeled. Finally, we will visit the jewel of the palace, the Throne Room, or Salón de Embajadores, whose magnificent dome dates back to 1427 and whose structure harkens back to the palace of the poet-king al-Mutamid. This room was used for important scenes in the renowned series Game of Thrones.

This palace was commissioned by Alfonso X The Wise (1252-1284) and built on the site of an ancient Almohad palace, while still respecting the Patio del Crucero. It was a representation of the arrival of Gothic architecture in Seville before the construction of the Great Cathedral.

Carlos V celebrated his wedding in its halls, and there is a collection of tapestries that depict the Emperor’s Conquest of Tunisia. The palace was later enriched by Philip II with magnificent Triana tiles that hold significant interest.

La Casa de Contratación (House of Trade)

Queen Isabel the Catholic established the House of Trade of the Indies in the Alcazar in 1503. It managed the affairs of the “New World” until 1597. When you visit, you will see the Hall of the Admiral first, which is now used for official events and has an interesting exhibition of paintings about the royal family.

The Hall of Audiences is also worth visiting. It’s presided over by the Virgin of the Sailors, a painting-retablo from the 16th century, created by the German-born painter Alejo Fernández. The room is said to be where the First Circumnavigation of the World by Fernando de Magallanes was planned, and other famous figures, such as the first cartographer of America, Juan de la Cosa, and Amerigo Vespucci, who named the new continent, also passed through this room.

The ancient orchards of the Alcázar have been transformed over time into magnificent gardens, where water flows through fountains and ponds, fruit trees bloom, and diverse architectural styles coexist.

The Mercury Pond was used to collect water from the ancient aqueduct of Caños de Carmona.

The Baths of Maria de Padilla are enveloped in fascinating legends and showcase Burgos Gothic architecture reflected in a pond where it is said the Queen would refresh herself on hot summer days in Seville. In the Garden of the Ladies, we find fruit trees brought by the Arabs coexisting with magnolias or American ceibos.

From the time of Emperor Charles V, we find the pavilion that bears his name, and from the 17th century, a lookout gallery decorated with grotesques that allows us to contemplate from above the more than 60,000 square meters of the gardens and their over 170 different botanical species.