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Hospital de las Cinco Llagas

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The old Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (Hospital of the Five Wounds), also known as the Hospital de la Sangre (Hospital of the Blood), is a building located in the town of Seville, in front of the walls and the Macarena Gate, and is currently the seat of the Parliament of Andalusia. Its construction began in 1546 by the will of Mr. Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera, who died in 1539. It was designed by Martin de Gainza, who managed the works until his death in 1556. In 1558 Hernán Ruiz II was commissioned to continue the work. The hospital, although it was incomplete, was inaugurated a year later. 

It has a rectangular floor plan and is arranged around 10 courtyards, of which only nine were built, although only eight remain as of today. The purpose of the hospital was to heal women and it is one of the most relevant buildings of 16th century Spanish architecture.

The most characteristic element of the building is undoubtedly its church. It is located in the central courtyard of Los Siniestros, has a Latin cross plan and is considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish Mannerism. It is taller than the rest of the building. Its interior is where the plenary sessions are currently held, where the Main Altarpiece built by Diego López Bueno with paintings by Alonso Vázquez according to a design by Asensio de Maeda stands out.

The building operated until 1972. After years of abandonment, in 1986 some projects were drawn up for its conversion into the seat of the Andalusian Parliament, which was inaugurated on 28 February (Day of Andalusia) in 1992. The total restoration of the building was completed in 2003, with the conclusion of the recovery work on the courtyards and rooms that had not been undertaken during the 1980s.

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