This pretty town is found on the road between Sevilla and Carmona; part of the famous Route of Washington Irving. It is located in the middle of an area known as “Los Alcores”, a naturally occurring line of softly rolling hills that marks a natural boundary to the north of the plains of the province of Seville.
The local environmental characteristics have made this area an attractive proposition for human settlement since Neolithic times and, since then, it has acted like a magnet to many other civilisations such as the Phoenicians, Tartars.
But let’s get closer to the present day. The local archaeology is a treasury of many civilizations including Iberian, Roman and Muslim, the latter of which has provided later generations with the most important cultural legacy and which has remained impregnated across the centuries in the architecture, the gastronomy and the local traditions.
Modern day Mairena del Alcor has recently experienced huge growth, both in economic as well as demographic terms. It is consolidating into a town with perhaps the brightest and most prosperous future within the province of Sevilla.
The town possesses several features of interest:
EL CASTILLO DE LUNA
This fortress was built over an earlier Muslim tower. It has four towers, an esplanade that dates from the middle of the 14th century, a low but wide outer “shell”, a moat excavated within country rock and a couple of dozen portholes for artillery built in the mid 15th century.
The castle was restored by the English archaeologist George Bonsor and now houses a museum of his entire archaeological collection dedicated to his memory.
IGLESIA DE SANTA MARIA DE LA ASUNCION
This, the local parish church, comprises a central chamber built in the Mudejar style dating from the 14th century. There are three naves with arched vaults supported on cruciform pillars and an impressive central altarpiece in the Baroque style of the 18th century.
ERMITA DE SAN SEBASTIAN
This hermitage is of Mudejar stayle and dates from the 15th century. One of the most important features is the sculpture of the Virgen de la Amargura dating from the 17th century.
ERMITA DEL CRISTO DE LA CÁRCEL
Named after the fact that the building communicates with the town gaol via a window, which enabled prisoners to plead for the intervention of Christ. Today, homage is paid to the image of the Christ of the Prison.
LA CASA PALACIO
The palace of the Dukes of Arcos, built in Mudejar style, is a typical construction commissioned for the nobility in the Sevillian countryside. The original palace dates from the beginning of the 15th century and from which is conserved a great central nave and patio with Mudejar pillars. The central living space has been converted into a magnificent auditorium large enough for 5000 people.
FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS
Amongst the most important of Mairena del Alcor’s celebrations and festivals is the festival of the Christ of the Prison on the 18th March. The highlight of the celebration is a procession in which the picture of the Christ figure is carried in reverence through the town followed by many of the faithful penitents complete with ankle chains preventing free movement of their feet.
And, as a real indication of the identity that is Mairena del Alcor perhaps the most authentic are the Feria, held in April, and the Festival of the Cante Jondo, held at the beginning of September.
LA FERIA DE ABRIL
This has been declared a festival of National Interest for Tourism being the first and oldest of the ferias to have been inaugurated in Andalusia. The feria was founded in 1441 under concession from Juan II to Pedro Ponce de León, the Master of Mairena. The feria has been written about by leading writers such as Washington Irving, Serafín Estébanez Calderón, etc. In practice, the Feria is held a week before that of Seville and heralds the beginning of the season of Ferias in Lower Andalusia.
FESTIVAL DE CANTE JOND
At the beginning of September the famous Festival of the Cante Jondo is held. Inaugurated first in 1962 and named after one fo Mairena del Alcor’s most famous sons, Antonio Mairena, who, whilst living, was one of Flamenco’s principal and most effective ambassadors.
Text provided by the Ayuntamiento de Mairena del Alcor
More information:
Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Mairena del Alcor
Delegación de Turismo
Plaza de Antonio de Mairena, 1
41510 Mairena del Alcor (Sevilla)
Phone: 00 34 955748830
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.mairenadelalcor.org
 Add as favourites (42) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 877
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved |
