An afternoon in the Murillo Gardens | 15 NOV

An afternoon in the Murillo Gardens

In the heart of Seville's historic centre, several plant species transport us to landscapes more typical of the African continent. The Murillo Gardens, a space of nature whose name comes from the illustrious Sevillian painter, allows us to wander along paths where the presence of Spanish-Muslim style tiles takes us to scenes from the popular American series Juego de Tronos.

Near the Real Alcázar, in the heart of Seville's historic centre, the vegetation takes us to landscapes reminiscent of the African jungle, where the monkeys scream and move among lianas. The presence of a Ficus Macrophylla, a tree of Australian origin commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig Tree, draws the passerby's attention to the richness of the Murillo Gardens.

Located south of the famous Santa Cruz neighborhood, the Murillo Gardens are composed of an area of 8,500 square meters of green areas and landscaped gardens. Several different natural spaces, among which are the Gardens of Delights and the Gardens of Catalina de Ribera, make up the space created during the period of 1835 and 1911.

The park, which owes its name to the illustrious Sevillian painter Juan Bartolomé Murillo, whose house is located in the district of Santa Cruz, was part of the Huerta del Retiro, included in the Real Alcázar until 1862, when it was decided to make a donation to the city of Seville to enlarge the fairgrounds located at that time in the old Prado de San Sebastián. Finally, this space would be used for the creation of the current Paseo de Catalina de Ribera, demanding new land in order to connect the Santa Cruz neighborhood with the railway station located in the San Bernardo neighborhood.

Originally known as the Talavera Gardens, in honor of the Sevillian architect Juan Talavera Heredia, in charge of shaping the space with walks and roundabouts, the park changed its name in 1918 after José Laguillo, director of the local newspaper El Liberal, proposed a tribute to Murillo.

A fountain of tiles of Hispano-Muslim remembrance crowns this space of nature. Several painted ceramic benches are positioned around it. In these we find numerous reproductions of paintings by the famous Sevillian painter José García Ramos. The contrast with the variety of botanical species presented in the park takes us to the Monument of Columbus, erected on the occasion of the Expo of 1929.

The design of the gardens responds to what could be called the Sevillian style, in which brick and ceramics are the protagonists accompanied by a vegetation that floods the borders.

The longitudinal arrangement of the Paseo de Catalina de Ribera allows us to walk around admiring a pedestal with busts of Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs, next to two columns crowned with the figure of a lion. Another element that we will not be able to overlook is the parietal fountain attached to the wall of the Gardens of the Alcazar dedicated to Catalina de Ribera, founder of the Hospital de la Cinco Llagas.

On rare occasions the calm of the gardens is disturbed, as was the case with the filming of the fifth season of the popular series Game of Thrones in 2014. The lights and colors that flood the corners of the park in the spring captivated the American production company, which decided to make the beauty of these gardens part of its scenarios.