Santa Florentina Convent

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The Santa Florentina Convent is one of the first Dominican convents in Andalusia. The original building and foundations date back to the second half of the sixteenth century. Today, it comprises several buildings from different periods, mostly the 17th and 18th centuries.

Highlights among these are the central courtyard with semi-circular arcades in two tiers. Most of the rooms are from the 18th century, including the Sacristy (1708), refectory, church (1714), main entrance (1759) and bell tower.

The old pointed arch entrance framed by an alfiz, from the early 16th century is noteworthy. Today, it is used as the entrance to the convent’s turntable and locutory. The latter is covered by a remarkable baroque coffered ceiling.

The church is a nave covered with a flat panelled polychrome wood ceiling, painted with plant-scrolls and the Dominican Order’s coat of arms. The presbytery is covered by a dome. The temple’s entrance is a magnificent 18th-century limestone work.

The temple has numerous altarpieces, most from the 18th century. The baroque main altarpiece is notable owing to its artistic quality, with the image of Saint Florentina in the central niche. The work is attributed to the studio of Cristóbal de Guadix and the sculptural work to Pedro Roldán.

The Sacristy houses bas-reliefs and paintings from the same period, and several from the 17th century, alongside high-quality silverwork. This convent is one of the most significant in the province of Seville.

The convent’s bell tower consists of a triple wall at an angle with semi-circular arches for the bells. Although simple in structure, the arches with bossed archivolts are flanked by massive Tuscan pilasters. Above the triangular pediment is a gable with a small niche and tile decoration.

A community of Dominican Mothers spend their time making sweets and pastries.

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