Situated in the fertile valley of the
Guadalquivir, on the both banks of the river,
Seville is approximately 2,200 years old, and the passage of the various civilisations has left it with a distinct personality. The mythological founder of the city is
Hercules, but in reality was founded as the Roman city of
Hispalis. Conquered by the
Vandals and the
Visigoths during the 5th and 6th centuries, in 712 it reached into the hands of the
Moors, who have named it
Ishbiliya. After more than five centuries of Muslim rule, in 1248
Ferdinand III incorporated it into the Christian
Kingdom of Castile. The discovery of the Americas transformed it in one of the economic centres of the
Spanish Empire, as its port monopolised the trans-oceanic trade. Coinciding with the
Baroque period, the 17th century represented the most brilliant flowering of the city's culture, but then began a gradual economic and demographic decline. Its Old Town, very well preserved, is the third largest in Europe, and contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (designated in 1987):
the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.
The General Archive of the Indies (in foreground in the first postcard), is the repository of extremely valuable archival documents illustrating the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the
Philippines. The building itself, an unusually serene and Italianate example of Spanish Renaissance architecture, was designed by
Juan de Herrera, the architect of the
Escorial. The origin of the structure dates from 1572 when
Philip II commissioned a building to house the
Consulado de mercaderes (the merchant guild of Seville). The building encloses a large central patio with ranges of two storeys, the windows set in slightly sunken panels between flat pilasters. It became the Archivo General de Indias in 1785.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See was built between 1401 and 1519, after the
Reconquista, on the former site of the city's mosque. After the completion it supplanted
Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, and now is the largest
Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world. The interior is the longest nave in Spain, and is lavishly decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. The builders used some columns and other elements from the ancient mosque, including its minaret, which was converted into a bell tower known as
La Giralda (in right in the first postcard; in background in the second postcard ), the city's most well-known symbol. The cathedral is also the burial site of
Christopher Columbus.
The Torre del Oro (in foreground in the second postcard) was built by the
Almohad dynasty in the first third of the 13th century as a watchtower and defensive barrier on the river. A chain was strung through the water from the base of the tower to prevent boats from traveling into the river port. Its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river, due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed hay). The tower is divided into three levels, with the third and uppermost being circular in shape and added in 1769. Today is a naval museum containing engravings, letters, models, instruments and historic documents. The museum outlines the naval history of Seville and the importance of its river.
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