Casa Consistorial de Sevilla

The Casa consistorial de Sevilla is a Plateresque-style building in Plaza Nueva, currently home of the city's government.

The work begin under architect Diego de Riaño, who directed the work between 1527 and his death in 1534. He was commissioned to construct a stone building, durable and with a façade to the Plaza Mayor in front of the convent of San Francisco. He executed what is now the southern section of the City Hall, including the arch that had communicated with the Franciscan monastery and two wings covered with Plateresque reliefs with representations of historical and mythical characters, heraldic symbols and emblems alluding to the founders of the city.

In the 19th century, after the demolition of the convent of San Francisco, a important expansion, executed by Demetrio de los Ríos and Balbino Marrón, created a new, Neoclassical façade oriented to the Plaza Nueva. On the opposite side, facing the Plaza de San Francisco, the north wing of the old building became the south wing of symmetrical tripartite façade as the building was expanded to the north. Plateresque carving was extended partway across the new façade in an attempt to match the style of the old building, but it was never completed. Given its status as a Bien de Interés Cultural, it is unlikely to ever be finished due to the restrictions placed on the remodelling of such buildings. The architects also reorganized the interior around two courtyards and a grand staircase.

The building has a large façade divided into five modules, decorated by Plateresque reliefs; these include grotesque motifs inspired by Italian Florentine architecture, heraldry symbols, allegories of Justice and Good Government and depictions of mythological or historical characters such as Hercules, Julius Caesar and Charles V.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Plaza Nueva 1, Seville, Spain

Details

Founded: 1527
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Spain