Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Occupying the site of the old judería, Jewish quarter, the winds and twists of its narrow streets provide shelter from the harshness of a Seville summer sun, and its tree-shaded plazas seem miles from the bustle of the major city centre in which it lies. The Barrio de Santa Cruz is the heart of Seville's historic centre, deep Andalusia, with flower-filled patios, mansions and palaces, whitewashed houses, geraniums and orange trees, taverns and pavement cafés, and you have not felt the soul of Seville until you have spent at least an hour or two there, preferably slightly lost and glad about it.

In the fourteenth century, Seville was home to Spain's largest Jewish community after Toledo, but things changed even before the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. The awful populist anti-Jewish stirrings and riots that occurred throughout Europe in the late fourteenth century had their reflection in Spain, and in Seville were fuelled by a senior clergyman, Fernando Martinez, Archdeacon of Écija. Martinez used his pulpit to encourage anti-Jewish sentiment, and though riots were repressed by the authorities, they culminated in the massacre of July 6, 1391. Armed with knives and daggers, the mob entered the already sacked and plundered judería by both its gates at the same time, preventing escape, and hunted down its inhabitants for an entire day. Of its population of more than 5,000, it is estimated that 4,000 were killed. The survivors, those who had fled beforehand, were understandably reluctant to return and although some did over time, Seville never had a Jewish quarter as such again. Unlike other Spanish cities, when the Catholic Monarchs expelled the Jews in 1492, Seville was hardly affected, so few Jews were there to be expelled.

The Barrio de Santa Cruz took its name from that of a church built on the site of one of the judería's synagogues. Over the centuries, it grew poorer and decayed, and by the end of the 18th century was practically in ruins. The decision to rebuild it was taken at the beginning of the 19th century, and its present appearance dates from that time.

You don't really need to have any particular objective in mind to enjoy wandering around the streets of Santa Cruz, but if you prefer one, you can look out for the following:
The Plaza de la Cruz, which gave the quarter its name, the cruz in question being an iron cross in the middle of the square, where an old mudejar church used to stand;
The Plaza de los Venerables, where Don Juan Tenorio is supposed to have been born, and the Hospital de los Venerables Sacerdotes;
The Plaza de los Refinadores, which has a statue of the legendary lover;
The Plaza de Doña Elvira, orange-tree shaded with tiled seats, where Doña Ines, the object of Don Juan's desire, is supposed to have been born;
and much more.

Click here for Barrio de Santa Cruz opening hours, entrance prices, and how to get there.