SEVILLE ALCAZAR ROYAL PALACE AND GARDENS UNESCO SITE TOUR

Story and photos by Barb & Ron Kroll

What is Europe's oldest palace still occupied by a royal family? Answer: The Real (Royal) Alcázar in Seville, Spain. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the part-time royal residence is located a very short walk southeast of the Seville Cathedral.

Mudejar facade of King Pedro's Palace

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

"Six different palaces have occupied this site since the Moorish governor built his fortress here in the 10th century," said our Seville guide Ana Calderón. "The fourth palace, built in the 14th century for King Pedro l, is the most important."

Mudéjar architecture

Seville's royal palace is different from Granada's Alhambra, which was built by Moorish tradespeople for Muslim rulers. In contrast, Moorish artisans built the Alcázar for Christian kings and queens.

Mudéjar art combines Islamic and Christian styles in the arches, masonry, ceramic tiles and decorations.

Christopher Columbus met Queen Isabella here

We entered Admiral's Hall (Cuarto del Almirante) in the House of Trade (Casa de la Contratación), where Queen Isabella met Christopher Columbus after his second voyage to the Americas. Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci also spent time in this room.

In the adjoining audience room, previously a chapel, we viewed the famous altarpiece of the Madonna of the Sailors (Virgen de los Navegantes) painted by Alejo Fernandez in 1503.

Model of Christopher Columbus's Santa Maria ship beside Madonna of the Navigators painting

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

Ferrari of ships

Ana pointed out how the Madonna used her cloak to protect not only the king, sailors and Christian people, but also the Native Americans discovered by the explorers. On the right side of the painting is a portrait of Christopher Columbus with blond hair (before it turned white after he was 30 years old).

Below her feet, the painting depicts several ships used during this period. "Christopher Columbus had three ships," noted Ana. "The Santa María was big and heavy with a deep draft, so it often went aground and needed repairs." A model of the Santa María is on display to the left of the painting.

The Niña and the Pinta were much smaller and lighter caravels, so they were faster. "They were the Ferraris of the sea," she explained.

Courtyard of the Maidens used for royal receptions

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

Courtyard for royal receptions

We then entered the Courtyard of the Maidens (Patio de las Doncellas). Mudéjar plaster work decorates the wall above the marble columns and arches of the two-story Italian Renaissance courtyard.

"The social life of the palace took place in the reception rooms around the gardens and pool in the courtyard," explained Ana. "At the time of Charles V in the 16th century, workers added a second floor, which was a reproduction of the first level built for King Pedro I."

Because the palace had no central heating or air conditioning, staff moved all the furniture downstairs by the elongated pool and orange tree-filled garden in the summer. In the winter, they moved the furnishings back upstairs where it was warmer.

Find the dolls' faces

King Pedro I lived in the rooms surrounding the Courtyard of the Dolls (Patio de las Muñecas). Ana told us about the legend of the hidden doll faces.

"If you can find any of the nine doll faces, you will bring good luck to your home. I've found six." Hint: Look up about 2.5 meters (eight feet) to the base of the arch before the entrance hall to see four of them. They are small, about the size of a pocket watch.

Ambassadors' Hall horseshoe arches and Mudejar decorations

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

Ambassadors' Hall

The Throne Room, also called the Ambassadors' Hall (Salón de Embajadores) is the most elaborate room in the palace. It features triple horseshoe arches and intricate 14th-century stucco Mudéjar decorations.

Domed ceiling and balconies in Ambassadors' Hall

Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

A splendid gilded dome, representing the universe where Allah lives, dominates the cube-shaped room. "The king addressed the nobles who came to meet him from the balcony just below the ornate ceiling."

Ana showed us some beautiful blue-colored stone. "It is lapis lazuli, imported from Afghanistan, so you can imagine how expensive it is."

Royal wedding

The hall was used for state events, including the marriage of Charles V to his cousin Isabella of Portugal in 1526. "Even though it was an arranged marriage, Charles fell in love immediately after meeting her in this room. They were married just two hours later."

She explained that Charles gave Isabella a carnation as his first gift. "The flowers came from Asia in the 16th century. Nowadays, Spain is the top-producer of carnations in Europe. We grow them here in Andalusia."

Mercury Pond in Alcazar Gardens

The 7,000 square-meter Alcázar Gardens amazed us. Ana explained why they are so large. "When the king enlarged the walls of the royal palace to protect the people of Seville, he needed to feed them, so his workers planted fruit trees and produce in the gardens for food."

Mercury Pond, at the highest part of the gardens, features a fountain with a bronze statue of Mercury from 1575. The reservoir, fed by a 16th-century aqueduct, used to provide water to the palace and irrigation to the gardens.

Game of Thrones film locations

We photographed the pond from the walkway behind the arches of the Gallery of the Grotesque (Galeria del Grutescos). Following the pathways, we viewed palms, myrtle hedges, a labyrinth, flowering plants, magnolias and orange trees.

Cries from some of the six free-roaming peacocks that inhabit the gardens surprised us. "You can usually find them by the coffeeshop because people feed them," said Ana.

The Alcázar was the film location for parts of the fifth season of Game of Thrones. In the television series, the gardens, Ambassadors' Hall and Baths of María de Padilla (King Pedro's mistress) were transformed into the Water Gardens of Dorne and the private residence of the House of Martell.