Semana Santa Estepa

Seville enchants

The building dates from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It is currently privately owned and is being restored to be used as an apartment building. Of Gothic-Mudejar origin, it has a single nave, divided into four sections by pointed transverse arches, the apse being made up of two sections, a rectangular one roofed with a coffered vault and a semicircular one with a ribbed vault.

It was built in the 16th century after the arrival of a foreign-born king, Carlos I of Spain or Karl V of Germany (whose coat of arms is emblazoned above the fountain). The king was a champion of the new philosophy that was sweeping through Europe - the Renaissance.

The Shrine to Saint Barbara is located on Villanueva del Río y Minas’ Guadalquivir Street, north of the town centre and Corta San Fernando. It is a simple chapel with a cross plan built in 1944. 

This building was also known as the “House of the Seven Balconies”.

Situated in the Plaza de Santiago, it has a beautiful carved stone Renaissance-style portal crowned by a triangular pediment with a 16th-century stone coat-of-arms.

The Chapel of the True Cross dates back to the late 15th century or early 16th century. This Gothic-Mudejar-style temple has a small chapel with one nave and two aisles. The altarpiece is from 1759. 

Above the magnificent pulpit with a wrought-iron staircase is a frieze with Renaissance motifs from the second half of the 16th century.

The Count of Valhermoso Palace is the most outstanding example of Ecija’s Renaissance palaces. The Marquises of Fuentes and Villaseca commissioned its construction in the 16th century in Renaissance style. It likely dates from around 1530. It boasts the best Plateresque-style entrance in Ecija, which consists of an impressive semi-circular arch.

The Cloistered Convent of the Franciscan Order of Santa Clara was founded with the approval of Pope Pius II and under the aegis of the Duchess of Arcos. It is the oldest of Carmona’s female convents. 

The building has various architectural styles as its construction lasted several years. It is a beautiful combination of Mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque.