What to see

Its abundant heritage of religious, civil and military architecture make Carmona one of the most monumental towns in Andalusia. Of the most emblematic buildings of a military and civil character, the ALCÁZAR DE LA PUERTA DE SEVILLA (FORTRESS OF THE PORT OF SEVILLE) and the ALCÁZAR DEL REY DON PEDRO (FORTRESS OF KING DON PEDRO_ stand out most, which today are home to the Parador de Turismo hotel, as well as the PUERTA DE CÓRDOBA. At the CASA-PALACIO DEL MARQUÉS DE LAS TORRES (HOUSE-PALACE OF THE MARQUIS OF LAS TORRES) you can find the City Museum.

The most notable Roman monument, the only one of its kind, is the NECROPOLIS, comprising several hundred burial chambers. The ELEPHANT TOMB and the TOMB OF SERVILIA stand out.

Strolling around the town’s streets we discover numerous houses and palaces with a Mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque style. The same happens with the legacy of religious buildings, among which the beautiful Gothic temple of SANTA MARÍA is worth highlighting (“the Cathedral” of Carmona). We can find examples of the Mudejar style in the CHURCHES OF SAN FELIPE, SANTIAGO or SAN BLAS and in terms of a Baroque style, we have the CHURCHES OF SAN PEDRO, SAN BARTOLOMÉ or the CHURCH OF EL SALVADOR.

TOURS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

Iglesia de San Blas (church)

San Blas church is one of the only churches in Carmona to maintain its original appearance. Peter of Castile started its construction, making use of a synagogue’s ruins. The Mudejar section was built in the sixteenth century, and the church was remodelled and the tower erected in the eighteenth century. The central nave is covered with a half-barrel vault and the side naves with a groin vault. The remarkable main retable has a Baroque layout. The Gothic chapel, built by Fernando Caro, has a delicate sexpartite vault and displays Eslava Rubio’s Jesus Christ of the Expiration sculpture. The marquetry on the sixteenth-century doors and the aquamanile found in the sacristy are both impressive.

Plazuela de San Blas,Carmona

Iglesia de San Blas (church)

Heritage Visits and Activities

Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla

The Puerta de Sevilla is one of the most significant elements among Carmona’s rich architectural ensemble. Although archaeological remains have been found dating back to the 14th and 12th centuries BC, it originated in the 9th century BC. Therefore, this monument, which was granted artistic and historic heritage before even Seville’s Giralda, reflects western history’s milestones and events of which the town has been both a witness and participant. Effectively, the culture of those that have settled in Spain’s tableland has been imprinted on the Puerta de Sevilla’s ashlar stones: including Eastern Mediterraneans, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs and lastly, Christians. The Carthaginians built a bastion over the original 13th century BC tower, giving way to the first traces of its quadrangular appearance; heavy and strong to defend the city from the Roman army. The Romans strengthened and renovated the structure erected by the Carthaginians with a group of doors that still exist. A podium and church were constructed over the bastion. These and other interventions carried out by the Romans, especially during the 1st century of our era, made Carmona, “the strongest city of the Hispania Betica of all time” as Caesar proclaimed when he conquered the city. Several interventions […]

C/ Puerta de Sevilla s/n,Carmona

Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla

Heritage Visits and Activities

Iglesia de San Pedro

The church has a basilica-style floor plan, comprising three naves surmounted by five ogival arches on pillars, covered with vaulted ceilings with lunettes in the central part and 18th century groin vaults at the sides, which conceal the original wooden coffered ceiling. Sadly there was a fire in 1984, leading to the loss of some beautiful elements: the 18th century frescoes that once decorated the crossing’s dome and the main altar, of the same era, which was dominated by the icon of San Pedro. The Sacramental chapel, attributed to Ambrosio Vázquez de Figueroa is a real jewel of rococo architecture. The tower, named “Giraldilla”, given its resemblance to Seville’s cathedral, was built during the 16th and 18th centuries. It is crowned by a weather vane that represents faith, work of Alfonso Berraquero. It houses a large number of interesting works, among which, the following are outstanding: the Virgen de la Antigua, attributed to Roque de Balduque, Virgen del Rosario, an anonymous 18th century piece and an image of San José attributed to Montes de Oca, who was also the creator of the images pertaining to the brotherhood Hermandad de la Humildad y Paciencia: the Christ of Humility and Patience and […]

C/ San Pedro, 14,Carmona

Iglesia de San Pedro

Heritage Visits and Activities

Iglesia de San Bartolomé

The Church was built in the 15th century, although it was decorated and transformed during the Baroque Period. The facade of the tower was finished in this period. The parish restoration was carried out in 1975. The main altarpiece from the 18th century stands out, with has its base, three columns, three rows and attic. There also is an important collection of paintings distributed on the walls of the church and the sacristy. One of the most significant is Saint Catherine of Alexandria found in the presbytery. The Jesus of Nazareth Chapel has three altarpieces. Made in 1607 by Francisco de Ocampo the most important.

Calle Prim, 29,Carmona

Iglesia de San Bartolomé

Heritage Visits and Activities

Alameda de Alfonso XIII y Fuente de los Leones

Construction started in 1794, but the current aesthetics were adopted in 1925, some years before the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition held in Seville. These transformations acquired the Andalusian regionalism style, influenced by architect Aníbal Gozález’s work. A fountain was erected in a desolate area on the outskirts of the town. It was called the Fuente de los Leones, following its remodelling during the times of Juana I. This fountain, surrounded by a stone, bench-like ledge, became a place for recreation and prompted the construction of a boulevard in the surrounding area some years later. The fountain was known as the “Plaza de Abajo” (the lower square), because the “Plaza de Arriba” (upper square) was found within the walled enclosure, the higher part of the city.

Calle Alameda, 3, carmona

Alameda de Alfonso XIII y Fuente de los Leones

Heritage Visits and Activities

Museo de la Ciudad. Casa Palacio Marqués de las Torres

Marqués de las Torres palace is an example of Carmona’s 18th century palace architecture. It has an impressive portal, typical of Seville’s baroque period of the year 1700. It has two tiers: the lower tier has double Tuscan columns at each side of the door, which supports the upper balcony, framed by joint lonic columns and topped with an open triangular pediment on its decorative base. The construction’s date is inscribed over the monumental stone façade’s pediment: 1755, alongside the Quintanilla family’s coat of arms. Its extensive side façade is Late Baroque in style, and has an impressive 18th century styling with Islamic patterns that decorate the balconies’ put-log holes. The central patio has a square floor plan and the rooms are organised around it over two floors. The Interpretation centre and town museum are currently housed here. The museum displays a summary of the town’s history, from its origins to the present day. The exhibition is in chronological order and uses archaeological, ethnographic and artistic objects to narrate the town’s history pointing out its most important periods of time.

C/ San Ildefonso, 1,Carmona

Museo de la Ciudad. Casa Palacio Marqués de las Torres

Heritage Visits and Activities

Roman necropolis

The Roman necropolis was discovered and excavated at the end of the 19th century thanks to Juan Fernández López and the archaeologist, Jorge Bonsor’s initiative. It was used between the 1st and 2nd centuries of our era. The Necropolis dates back to the 1st century. The most common burial ritual was cremation. The bodies were cremated in burners excavated in the rock where the pyre was placed. Sometimes these burners were also used as burials, placing ashes in the pit, which were covered with ashlar, bricks or tiles. Once covered with earth, a stele would be placed to indicate the place and name of the deceased. The most common burial in the Necropolis of Carmona is an underground chamber, where several members of one family would be buried in a mausoleum. It was accessed through a staggered well. The chamber was commonly quadrangular in shape, with a bench that went around the lower part of the walls, where offerings would be placed and over which the niches were opened. In some of the chambers there are traces of the doors that closed them, whereas others would have been closed using a large slab. The external part of the burials, would […]

necrópolis romana carmona

Roman necropolis

Heritage Visits and Activities

Las Descalzas Convent

The Las Descalzas convent is in the Plazuela del Marqués de las Torres and was founded in 1629 against Carmona town council’s wishes.It was not officially opened until 1748, the year that the town celebrated solemn fiestas for this reason.Currently a congregation of Discalced Augustinian Recollect nuns are accommodated in the convent. On the interior of the convent, its church has a rich décor typical of the Baroque era, featuring a façade with a double portal and tower.Its main altarpiece is interesting to see as it is unfinished.The sacristy’s Sagrario is also impressive, and is made from polychromed wood. During the Virgen de Gracia processions, the congregation would enter through the right door and leave through the left, passing in front of the choir where the nuns would sing canticles in her honour.

Calle Sta. María de Gracia, 1, carmona

Las Descalzas Convent

Heritage Visits and Activities

Iglesia Prioral de Santa María y Museo de Arte Sacro

This is the town’s most important church. Its construction started in 1424 and was completed in 1551. It is Gothic in style, although it has undergone subsequent additions. The late 17th century Puerta del Sol and the Sacramental chapel remain from the baroque period. The tower’s construction started in the 16th century, and the two upper sections were completed in the 19th century. It was built over the town’s former mosque and still preserves the former patio of ablutions, named Patio de los Naranjos (orange tree patio). We can observe a 6th century Visigoth calendar in one of the patio’s corners. The church has a hall floor plan, with three naves, plus chapels between the side buttresses. Diego de Riaño created the complicated pillars and rib vault. It has a free-standing choir with a very interesting seating area (artist unknown) from the start of the 18th century. Its wonderful main altarpiece is truly outstanding, the height of the Andalusian plateresque style. It consists of one single plane, divided into five rows with four tiers, an attic tier and baldachin, designed by Juan Bautista Vázquez el Viejo. Its construction started in 1559. The vast heritage that this church conserves is displayed in the sacred […]

Plaza del Marques de las Torres, s/n,Carmona

Iglesia Prioral de Santa María y Museo de Arte Sacro

Heritage Visits and Activities

Puerta de Córdoba

During the Roman era, Carmona had four gates that allowed the walled city to communicate with the outside. Only two of them now remain: la Puerta de Sevilla and la Puerta de Córdoba. This is due to numerous, crucial battles that occurred on our land over the passing of time. In Roman development, these two main gates were connected by the “Cardo Maximus”, the city’s main road axis. This road still remains in the town today, almost unchanged, and provides access to the town through both gates, interconnecting them. Archaeological investigations have shown that the 1st century was a time of economic prosperity for Carmona, which gave rise to the construction of large and important public buildings, including the Puerta de Córdoba. It’s purpose was not only to defend the city, but also served as a means of propaganda. We can observe traces from the different cultures that settled in our town over time on the Puerta de Córdoba. During the Catholic Monarchs’ era the Puerta de Córdoba lost its main defensive function, and therefore, its austere military appearance. It took on the role of controlling products that were produced outside of the wall, acting as customs, therefore taking on […]

C/ Dolores Quintanilla,Carmona

Puerta de Córdoba

Heritage Visits and Activities

Plaza de San Fernando

The Plaza de San Fernando, also known as the Plaza de Arriba, is today a wide urban space where locals meet, offering a comfortable setting to enjoy the town’s breeze, rest, wander and chat with friends. It is the heart of Carmona’s every day life, and has interestingly been so almost forever. During Roman times, this space was where the town’s two main streets -which formed Carmona’s urban network- crossed: the Cardo and the Decumanus. Furthermore, this space was not only the town’s physical centre, but also administrative, political and social centre, as that is where the forum was built. Throughout the centuries, this square has continued to be used for public acts; religious and social events have been held here, such as bullfighting, since the Modern Age. Nowadays, political and administrative matters are once more in the spotlight in this square, as the town hall is located in a former Jesuit college. It was constructed in 1621 by Pedro Sánchez, brother of the Order. The surrounding buildings in the Plaza de San Fernando boast great historic and artistic interest. There is a great variety of styles; however most the houses have one single noble floor, over the ground floor, […]

Plaza de San Fernando,Carmona

Plaza de San Fernando

Heritage Visits and Activities

Ayuntamiento y Mosaico Romano

Located in a building that constituted the former conventual residence of the Jesuits. Construction of the convent concluded in 1621. Following Carlos III’s Pragmatic Sanction, the Jesuits were stripped of their assets in the town, and the college therefore became a boarding school. The Town Hall was adapted in 1842. The most recent alterations date back to 1980 and 1992. The building is organised around an ancient cloistered patio, where we can admire an important Roman mosaic (Mosaico de la Medusa), found in the historic quarter. There is a memorial stone for Tulio Amelio from the 1st century AD and fragments of the Bruma mosaic.

C/ El Salvador, 2,Carmona

Ayuntamiento y Mosaico Romano

Heritage Visits and Activities

Roman amphitheatre

The Roman amphitheatre dates back to the 1st century BC. Its excavations started in 1885 under the management of Fernández López and Jorge Bonsor. Part of the cavea or seating area are below the level of the Roman road (the ima and media cavea). According to calculations, there were a total of 30 tiers, which were excavated in the hill itself. This is the part that has been preserved, while the upper part, the summacavea, which was built, did not make it to our times. The different rooms needed for the shows would have been underground, i.e. the changing rooms, cages for the wild beasts, etc. The stands would have been covered in marble or some other noble material, and would have been decorated with a wealth of statues, as was normal for these buildings. The west façade had an entrance ramp, similar to those on each of the corners, which led to the exits or vomitoria. It is thought to have been used for shows with wild beasts or other artistic and cultural spectacles. Visits: opening hours and entrance fees

Av. Jorge Bonsor, 9,Carmona

Roman amphitheatre

Heritage Visits and Activities

Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro

Seemingly fortified in Roman times, this enclosure acquired its shape from the Moors and definitively with Pedro I, who restored it during the 12th century, transforming it into one of his favourite residences. It consists of two spaces, one inside the others, with its corresponding walls and barbicans; the facade, looks out onto the town and is surrounded by a moat. It features the entrance: an Islamic horseshoe arch leading to a small military enclosure, which is where we find the Parador, view point. It was originally defended by three towers, of which there are only remains of two. The Catholic Monarchs built “el cubete”, an artillery fortress with gun ports, and added general embellishments to the palace. The earthquake of 1755 greatly affected the palace and its condition progressively worsened. The Parador is newly built, although it keeps in with the style that a palace within these walls would have had. From the terrace, we can enjoy the wonderful view of Carmona’s plains.

C/ Alcázar, s/n,Carmona

Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro

Heritage Visits and Activities