Marchena – A Walk to Al-Andaluz
Marchena – A Walk to Al-Andaluz
Dear travellers! We invite you to discover a beautiful corner of Medieval Muslim Iberia, the town of Marchena. It’ll charm you with its splendid medieval Arabic architecture and elegant Gothic churches. The streets of Marchena breathe with history as it was built more than two thousand years ago.
“Puerta de Sevilla”
“Puerta de Sevilla” is one of the gates of the 12th century wall which enclosed Muslim Marchena, also known as “Arco de la Rosa”. The town conserves its medieval walls. There is a number of interesting places to visit if you are keen on Medieval history and cultural heritage of Andalusia.
Unbelievable but true! In Marchena there are four convents of some of the oldest Catholic Orders!
We’ll go through the Arch of ”de la Rosa” into the old town and arrive at “The Throat Cutting of San Juan Bautista” Church in the Gothic-Mudejar style. It has three gates that give way to five naves crowned with a main altarpiece, one of the most brilliant examples of Sevillian Art of the late 16th century, with panels and sculptures of Alejo and Jorge Fernandez (masters of the main altarpiece of the Cathedral of Seville). Here you can see a collection of canvases by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), located in the Sacristy of the church, and the Craftsmanship in Precious Metals and Embroidery, placed on the high floor accessible by a spiral staircase dating from the 16th century. The church also houses a masterpiece of the European Baroque, the organ built by Juan Echabarría in 1765 and recently restored.
“The Throat Cutting of San Juan Bautista” Church
Easter procession
Let's visit the Ducal Palace (ancient Islamic palace), the church of “Santa Maria de la Mota” and Clarisse convent , the Convent of the Conception which preserves valuable works of European Renaissance artists such as A. Dürer (1471-1528) and F. Gallet ( 1537-1612 ). Here you can buy silver medallions and sweets made by Clarisse nuns!
“Santa Maria de la Mota” and Clarisse convent , the Convent of the Conception
Next stop is the convent of the Franciscan nuns, the convent of Santa Isabel. You can go up the Street” Las Torres” with its medieval towers and reach the Gate of Moron, today’s Museum of Coullaut Valera and local Tourism Office.
It's also worth visiting the convent of the Order of Mercy, the Convent of “San Agustín”, standing out for the splendor of its Colonial style with an image of the “Heart of Jesus” , blessing people from the top of the temple.
The Convent of “San Agustín”
