Andalusia

Seville

Cordoba

Granada
Plaza Espana resides inside the Parque de María Luisa, which was once the private grounds of a palace.
It was created for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition.
Seville – Plaza de Espana
 Seville - Catedral de Santa Maria de la Sede
This enormous Gothic cathedral, about 400 by 600 feet, replaced the Almohad mosque that occupied the
same site. It is claimed that it is the largest church in the world, bigger than St. Peter's in Rome in volume.
 The Giralda (1184-1196)
which is now its bell tower, was
originally a minaret of a 12th Century
Moorish mosque, it is 322 feet tall
if you include the bronze statue of
"Holy Faith" at its peak.
This minaret has two twins:
one is in Marrakech and other is in Rabat.
The three are the oldest surviving
Almohad minarets.
The rose window above a main entrance;
the fence of Roman columns joined by
chains surrounding the huge structure
 The Visitation of the Magi,
this depicts the third king as African,
a way of indicating that the whole world
worships the Christ child.

The Door of the Birth

The terra cotta figures were
sculpted by the French artist
Lorenzo Mercadante de Bretaña
and Pedro Millán in
the late 15th century.
Seville: A Synagogue converted into a magnificent church
 Seville - Patio de las Muñecas
the intimate area in the Palace of D. Pedro.
Patio de las Muñecas

One of the doll's heads

The four small heads, on the arch

which leads to the entrance hall of
the palace, give this patio its name.
Seville - Patio de las Muñecas in Palacio del Rey Don Pedro
Casa de Pilatos
Currently owned by the Dukes of
Medinaceli, the palace was built
in the 16th century by a wealthy
aristocrat Marquis de Tarifa
after returning from a voyage to
Jerusalem, where he got enchanted
with the house of Pontius Pilate
 Casa de Pilatos
The construction is a blend of Baroque, Renaissance and Mudéjar styles
Palácio de San Telmo, constructed in 1682
 Seville's Maestranza Bullring
was completed in 1763 and can
accommodate as many as 12,500 spectators
The Great Mosque of Cordoba

"Patio de Los Naranjos"

(Orange Trees courtyard),
Before entering the
Great Mosque of Cordoba
 The construction of the Torre del Alminar,
the bell tower, began in the 16th century over
Na old entrance to the Mosque.
an Islamic Minaret and was finished in the
In 784 the Mosque was one-third of its current size
17th century. It is 305 feet (93m) tall.
The Mihrab: The prayer niche where an
original copy of the Koran was stored,
constructed between 961-976 AD
 The Mosque contains 850 columns and is made of
jasper, marble, granite, and onyx.

In 1371 the Christians build the Capilla de

Villaviciosa in the Mosque using Moorish
craftsmen so that it would blend in with the
Mudejar architecture.
 In 1523 an inconsistent Baroque cathedral was started in the center of the Mosque.
This was sanctioned by Charles V but he was reportedly horrified when he saw the results.
The "Mezquita de Cordoba" was begun in 784 by Abd al-Rahman I when he bought the Visigoth basilica
of San Vicente which was then torn down and the mosque was built on the site.
Three periods of additions from 784 through the 16th century brought it up to its current glory
Baroque Cathedral in the Great Mosque of Cordoba
The Great Mosque of Cordoba over the old Roman Bridge on the Guadalquivir river.
 The Alhambra

Mohammed I, the first king of the Nasriden – a Moorish dynasty in Granada,

converted a 9th-century castle into his private royal residence, and it is this which
we now know as the Alhambra. The structure, which covers an area of 13 hectares,
is renowned for its stunning frescoes and interior detail.
The building is one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in the world
 The Lion Court (Patio de los Leones) at the Alhambra
The Fountain of Lions is a magnificent alabaster basin supported by the
figures of 12 lions in white marble, which once functioned as a clock
with water flowing from a different lion at each hour.
 Patio de los Leones – Mirador to the Lindaraja courtyard
there are in total 124 thin marble columns
The Alhambra Palace –adornment of filigree foliage and Arabic inscriptions.
Alhambra -Vault at the Hall of Ambassadors ( Salon de los Embajadores ) in the Torre de Comares
 Courtyard of the Maiden ( Patio de las Doncellas )
This name perhaps reflects the annual gift of 100 virgins to the sultan
Jardin del Estanque – frescoes in the niches.
Granada - The nave of the Cathedral
Granada: the massive organ inside the Cathedral
 Granada - La Cartuja Monastery of the Carthusian monks,
the 17th century construction is in Baroque style, with a plain aspect in the outside.
Granada: The Cartuja monastery
Granada: The Cartuja monastery
Granada: The Cartuja monastery