 Alcazar
| Barrio Santa Cruz | Casa
de Pilatos | Cathedral | City
Walls & Gates | Giralda
The Casa de Pilatos
by Josephine Quintero
The first Marquis of Tarifa departed on a Grand
Tour of Europe and the Holy Land in 1518. Two years later he returned,
enraptured by the architectural and decorative wonders of High Renaissance
Italy. He spent the rest of his life fashioning a new aesthetic,
which was very influential. His palace in Seville was called the
House of Pilato because it was thought to resemble Pontius Pilato's
home in Jerusalem and later became a luxurious showcase for the
new style.
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Roman Statue at Casa de Pilatos
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Subsequent owners have contributed to the building
over time and it is currently the residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli
and still one of the finest palaces in Seville. The marble portal
was commissioned by the Marquis in 1529 from Genoan craftsmen, while
the courtyard is typically Mudejar in style and decoration with
tiles work and intricate plasterwork. This is surrounded by irregularly
spaced arches capped with delicate Gothic balustrades. In the corners
re three Roman statues, depicting Minerva, a dancing muse and Ceres,
and a fourth statue, a Greek original of Athena, dating from the
5th century BC.
Towards the end of the park, the grandest mansions
from the fair have been adapted as museums. The farthest contains
the city's archaeology collections. The main exhibits are Roman
mosaics and artefacts from nearby Italica, along with a unique Phoenician
statuette of Astarte-Tanit, the virgin goddess once worshipped throughout
the Mediterranean.
Nearby is the Royal Tobacco Factory, forever associated
with the fictional gypsy heroine, Carmen, who toiled in its sultry
halls. Today it is part of the university.
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