Madre mía: Sevilla parte dos

Although the national religion of Spain is catholicism, not everyone is religious and some cities feel much more secular than others.  Sevilla a city where, even though many people may not be religious, the vestiges of Catholic fervor still exist.  The most famous re-conquistadores Isabel and Ferdinand consolidated a lot of their power here.  Isabel, in particular, viewed it as her duty to convert everyone one of her subjects to Catholicism and to protect the faith.  So, here is my homage to the Sevillan Virgin Mary. 

She is the most important saint.  She is the mother protector and your direct channel to god himself.  Her image, her name, her presence seems to be on every other building in this city.  She is also the patron saint of sailors and because so many voyages set sail from Sevilla's Guadalquivir river into the Atlantic (i.e. Columbus's journey to the Americas), Mary is of particular importance.

Here she is tiled into the side of a church. . .

On a large beer keg in a bar. . .

 In the cathedral (La Dolorosa) . . .

 In a dark alleyway . . .

 On the side of the cathedral at night. . .

 On the side of a guitar shop . . .

 Dedicated to her after she protected the city from a major earthquake in the 18th century. . .

 Random street altar. . .

 Detail of the above (flower offerings) . . .

On the side of a school . . .

 On the side of a home . . .

 At the medieval entrance to the city. . .

 In a tiny medieval street. . .

 A convent. . .

 In a once Islamic archway. . .

 In a souvenir shop. . .

 The name of a street. . .

 And and random drunk guy in a chicken suit. . .

He has nothing to do with the Virgin Mary.

Sevilla, te quiero

Next stop on our "routa de Andalucía" was way too short.  Sevilla is one of the best cities I have ever been to.  I don't know much of Spanish history, so I was amazed that this is where Columbus set sail for the new world.  It is where the great Isabelle and Ferdinand were married and had their children.  It is the home of Flamenco and the place where the Santa Semana (holy week) is done the best.  

The largest cathedral in Spain and the third largest in Europe is in Sevilla.

Here is a partial side view.

Another side view in late afternoon (8pm).

Inside the Cathedral there is also the largest altarpiece (retablo) ever made.

I couldn't get it all in; its 65 feet tall.  A retablo is supposed to evoke heaven -- a completely golden space with figures of god projecting out of niches.

 Christopher Columbus is also buried here.  Here are some Japanese tourists who wanted to be photographed with the remains of a person most Americans do not revere.

Sevilla is a medieval city with winding streets and small plazas.  It has an amazing atmosphere, especially in the old Jewish quarter.  Originally the Jewish quarter was a ghetto separating them from the Christians, but when Ferdinand and Isabella expelled all of the Jews from Spain this became just another part of the city.  Regardless of its negative history, it is the most lively and romantic areas of the city.

The medieval quarter starts just beyond the Plaza de Banderas (Plaza of the Flags).  Here is a view of the church from inside the Plaza lined with orange trees.   Oranges and olives grow everywhere, falling from trees, and spilling into the streets.

Street signs spelled out in tile.

Napoleon burnt down a church that was here (a church that was built after a mosque was burnt down to build a church).  He built the French Embassy here and it still stands.

Sevilla is also the city of Flamenco.

We went to a flamenco performance that was not cheesy or touristy in the courtyard of an apartment complex.  The performers sang, danced, and played guitar two feet from the audience, not on a stage.  It was intimate and passionate.

The performers asked that we not take videos or flash photos.  I, unlike 85% of the people there, respected their request.  I only have the memory and that is enough.  The performance was fantastic and if you ever go to Sevilla, this place is wonderful: Casa de la Memoria.  My mother was particularly enamored of the passion of El Choro!

I want to mention that Sevilla is not all history and tradition.  There is an amazing night life as well - plazas filled with bars, restaurants line the river, clubs are hidden in the side streets.  I wish I could have spent more than two days.  Echarte de menos Sevilla y te quiero.

I am not converting to Islam, but mosques are cool

I went to Cordoba, Spain just to see the great mosque that was begun in the 10th century.  Little did I know that that mosque was inside the medieval walls of an amazing city that has been there since Roman times (totally dorking out on history here).

View of medieval wall that separates old Cordoba from new Cordoba.

There are intricate old streets that weave their way though a city that has a history that includes some of the most important Jewish and Islamic scholars in history.  

 

Medieval street with perfect drainage (I am totally a nerd for observing these things, but the Muslims were so precise with their engineering that every, single stone in the street is diagonal to promote the fast flow of water away from living quarters).

The leaders of Cordoba built a large fortress to protect the city.  The Alcazar of Cordoba keeps watch for invaders.

View out over the fortress (it was a beautiful day).

Of course the Christians came and overtook the town, but in the case of Cordoba, they altered very little of the already existing monuments.  They made themselves known though.

 Statues of Ferdinand and Isabela giving Columbus the power to "discover" the New World in the garden of the Cordoba Alcazar.

Next is the mosque.  I have been teaching this building for the past 8 years and I was so excited to finally see it in person.  I was truly moved at how much history the building has.

 

 Partial exterior of the mosque.  It is so decorated because it is made to make you feel like you are entering heaven on earth.

Entering into the mosque you make your way to the Mihrab, which is like the altar of a church.  The endless, towering columns, overwhelm you and make you feel like you have entered into another world.

The Mihrab is a gold and glass tile and is perfectly radially symmetrical.  There are no images of god, yet it represents his presence through the writing of his name in calligraphy, Allah.  It towers over the viewer by 20 feet.

In the Christian era the king did not have the heart to tear down this beautiful building (like so many other mosques in reconquista Spain), so he built his cathedral in the center of the mosque.  Even though there is a cathedral at the center the rest of the structure, like the colonnade (seen above), is not considered part of the cathedral. 

 

16th century Renaissance cathedral emerging out of a 10th century mosque surrounded by 17th century paintings and sculptures; this is an art historical dream!

Oh yeah, and we were there when the town was celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation in all of their flamenco finery (two adorable girls dressed up in the courtyard of the mosque/cathedral).  What an amazing combination of things!

Now your boring history lesson is done.  Don't worry, I'm drinking too much wine and dancing to house music every night too.

Hasta luego Cordoba.