Parts of the Alcazar and things to visit

We are going to go through the main things to enjoy during a visit to El Alcazar in Seville. Most people visit La Giralda and the Cathedral on the same day as the Alcazar. They are located so close to each other that this makes sense. However, if you plan to stay for two days in Seville or more it may make sense to visit each of these “must-do attractions” on separate days.

Patio del León

Passing beyond the Almohaden walls you come to the Patio de los Leones. This is the closest area to the entrance and the ticketing office. This patio was the garrison yard of the original alcazar.

On the right side of the patio, there is the Casa de Contratación of Seville (founded in 1503), which was the administrative office for traffic with the West Indies. It contains beautiful Flemish tapestries with mythological themes (17-18C).

In the chapel, there is a well-known painting by Alejo Fernández, which is known as the Madonna of Seafarers’ (1530-5).

Patio de la Montería

On the left side is the Patio de la Montería, which provides a view over the magnificent palace façade. The rectangular, strictly articulated façade is broken by one triple- and two double-arched windows, beneath which are sebka ornamentation and blind arcades include an inscription that refers to Pedro I and the building of this part of the alcázar in 1364.

The blue and white band of tiles repeats, in Kufic characters, a sentence from the Koran: “There is no victor but Allah’

Patio de las Doncellas

The wings of the Alcazar date from the 16^th and the 17^th century. The part of the mexuar which is open to the public, between a battlemented wall and the palace itself, leads to the Patio de las Doncellas (Court of the Maids of Honour), around which the official chambers are grouped.

The arcades with their cusped arches rest upon 52 slender double marble columns. Of particular beauty are the 14C azulejos (tiles), the filigree-like stucco, and the decorations on the wooden ceilings and doors. Around the courtyard are the Salón del techo de Carlos Quinto with its superb Renaissance coffered cedar ceiling (16C), the Chambers of Maria de Padilla, the Dormitorio de los Reyes Moros and, above all, the splendid Salón de Embajadores (Ambassadors’ Hall) with its marvelous decoration from the reign of Pedro I.

Patio de los Embajadores

The high walls of the room are crowned by a massive dome (which was only built 1420) with geometric patterns, polychrome stucco, gilding, and stalactite work. The room opens on three sides through horseshoe-arched entrances. The frieze of portraits of Spanish rulers dates from the time of Philip II. The Patio de los Embajadores leads to the The Salón del techo de Felipe II, and the third part of the palace: The Patio de las Muñecas.

The Patio de las Muñecas

The ‘Doll’s Court’, so named after the small, doll-like faces in the arch spandrels. This part contains the harem or living quarters. The capitals of the columns of the arcade are mostly from Cordoba and Medina Azahara. Here also the decoration is of high quality, if a little more modest. The first floor has rooms with valuable tapestries from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The royal chambers of Queen Isabella with an altar, the Patio de María de

The Padilla, which has a few remaining Gothic arches and the ‘Baths of María de Padilla, is the Palace of Charles V with the Salón del Emperador.

This has an excellent series of 12 tapestries with scenes from the Emperor’s Tunisian Campaign, 1535-woven by the Flemish artist Pannemaker in 1554.

This part of the building dates from the 18the century, and was built after the earthquake of 1755 had destroyed the older Gothic palace. The chapel contains a collection of paintings from the Granada school.

Gardens of the Alcazar

The gardens of the alcázar are of extraordinary beauty, incorporating various stylistic elements: Moorish (the ‘Galera’ and ‘Gruta’ gardens), Renaissance (the Jardín Grande’ and the ‘Jardin del Naranjar), and modern (such as the garden in the former ‘Herta del Retiro’). A grotto wall divides the garden into two parts. There are trees, palms, tiled benches, fountains in the middle, the Pavilion of Charles V from the 16^th century, and with its 10 feet high azulejo (tiles) coverings.

A walk through these gardens is an amazing experience to enjoy different gardening styles through history. This is one of few such gardens in the world, and besides, it is located inside a large City.

The Real Alcazar in the movies

The Real Alcazar of Seville is a place where you can find one of the most spectacular constructions: the Pedro I Palace which has a Mudejar architectural style. It´s rooms give movies an authentic feel, like the Patio del Yeso or the wall of the Monteria Patio, which were rebuilt by Pedro I “The Cruel” after an earthquake destroyed part of it in the XIV century.

Of all the famous movies filmed in the Alcazar, one that we should point out is Lawrence of Arabia (1962, United Kingdom), produced by David Lean.

In 2014, the Real Alcazar of Seville was chosen to be Games of Thrones filming location for its fifth season. It is based on the bestseller novel “A song of fire and ice” by George R.R. Martin. The HBO series Game of Thrones concluded its fourth season in June of 2014 and started filming the fifth season at the Real Alcazar of Seville in October of 2014.

Here is a list of some other movies that have been filmed in Seville: La Femme et le Pantin, La Folie des Grandeurs, 1492-La Conquista del Paraiso and The Kingdome of Heaven. You can find here more famous movies filmed in Spain.

The Alcazar of Seville – Video