The Story of SevilleGallichan, Walter M. (Walter Matthew)
History
The Story of Seville
Gallichan, Walter M. (Walter Matthew)
Seville (Spain)
_San Gil_ is on the left-hand side of San Luis, close to the Church of
Santa Marina. It was originally a Moorish _mezquita_. The doorways are
Gothic. The effigies of the Saviour and the Virgin within the church are
attributed to Roldan, one of the pupils of Montañez.
_Omnium Sanctorum_ is in the Plaza de la Feria. This church stands on
the former site of a Roman temple, and it was built by Pedro the Cruel
in 1356. It exhibits a mingling of Gothic and _Mudéjar_ architecture.
There are three naves and three doors. On the tower are some noteworthy
frescoes. Francisco de Rioja, the poet, lived in this parish.
_Santa Catalina_ is situated in the _calle_ of that name. This church
was also built on the ground once occupied by a Roman fane, and
afterwards by a Mohommedan mosque. The façade is another instance of the
survival of Moorish art, while the principal chapel is Gothic. Within
are three remarkable paintings by Pedro de Campaña, a Flemish artist,
who is claimed as one of the Sevillian school. These masterpieces of
early Andalusian art are described in the chapter on the painters of
Seville.
The inspection of these churches would fill a long day. But there are
several more fine _parroquias_ to be visited, for it must be remembered
that the churches are the art museums of Spain, and no one can gain
knowledge of the development of architecture, sculpture and painting in
the country without spending a considerable portion of one's time in the
dim, perfumed naves and chapels. The stranger will be impressed by the
garish decoration of the interiors of many of the churches of Seville.
Gilt is spread lavishly, and the effect is often tawdry. Some of the
images are poor, especially in the modern churches, and one's taste is
often shocked by their incongruity. The figures of the Virgin often lack
dignity and beauty. But, as Mr. Henry James points out in his sketch
'From Normandy to the Pyrenees,' in _Portraits of Places_, those images
of the Holy Mother are 'the sentiment of Spanish Catholicism' of modern
times. They are, therefore, instructive from that point of view.
But from a devotional, as well as an æsthetic, standpoint, one is
disposed to ask whether the sacred idols would not gain in nobility,
pathos and stateliness if the Virgin were represented in the realistic
garb of a Jewish woman of the people, instead of in modern dress, with
trappings of lace and jewellery. It is with no disrespect towards
Catholic prejudices in this matter that one expresses this view. The
mediæval conception of the Madonna in painting appeals to the
imagination, because in the works of the great masters there is beauty,
simplicity and convincingness.
In the northern district of the city, beyond the Convento de Santa
Paula, we may, in a few minutes, reach--
_Santa Lucia._--This church is now used for profane purposes; but its
splendid Gothic portal remains. The Morisco tower is also notable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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