Santa María Magdalena Church

Seville, Spain

Santa María Magdalena was built in 1691-1709 under design of architect Leonardo de Figueroa, above a medieval church built after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248.

The façade has three portals, one featuring a sculpture of 'St. Dominic' by Pedro Roldán. Above the portals are an oculus, sided by two blue spheres symbolizing the mystery of the rosary, and a bell-gable (1697). All the exterior of the church is characterized by a large use of blue and red decorative motifs.

The interior has a nave and two aisles, a transept, five chapels (including the only one remaining from the previous edifice, that of the Brotherhood of the Fifth Angusty) and a presbytery. The central nave is surmounted by an octagonal dome, whose exterior is decorated with fugres resembling Inca Indians. The interior of the church has a rich Baroque decoration sith stuccoes and gold patina.

The Chapel of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús has another work by Roldán and a Christ Reborn by Jerónimo Hernández. The high altar is in Baroque style (18th century), with sculptures by Pedro Duque y Cornejo and Francisco de Ocampo, while the retable of the Assumption was executed by Juan de Mesa. Other artworks include frescoes by Lucas Valdés and two canvasses by Francisco de Zurbarán

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Details

Founded: 1691-1709
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Rodolfo Gutierrez (7 months ago)
It's a very special church, has a website, and has a lot of ancient paintings and sculptures. All of them have an explanation tag besides, so you can understand what you are seeing. It's worth the visit, and don't forget to leave something for charity. Churches don't run on air...
Je Je (10 months ago)
On of the most detailed and majestic churches I have visited in europe. The building itself and architecture is beautiful. Paintings, statues and arts inside the church are all well put. The outside bell is so grande and can be seen from miles away. It's what lured us to this place. Worth a visit if you are interested in religious places and amazing architecture
Marcelo Arenas (2 years ago)
Every frequent traveler knows that Europe has infinite churches everywhere. After some time, upon many visits to their buildings, you begin to ignore them all. But I ask you not to underestimate some of them. The Santa Maria Magdalena church is really worthy to be visited. There's a unique design and cozy beauty to it. It's nice to find out there's not such a thing as "more of the same" sometimes...
Jodi Melkert (2 years ago)
Beautiful, but Mass was going on, so I didn't get any inside pictures.
Michael Barton (3 years ago)
We happened to stumble into his church randomly and received a wonderful surprise. The inside is beautifully crafted and painted. The rooftop is even iconic on the skyline being very pretty painted. Consider exploring the inside of you're nearby because it's worth a visit.
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