The Barrio Santa Cruz is beside the Alcazar and is bounded by the Alcazar, the Jardines de Murillo, Santa Maria La Blanca, and Calle Mateas Gago. The barrio used to be the old Jewish quarter. The streets are narrow and form a labyrinth, where it is easy to get lost. This is part of its charm, because when one is lost, one may discover a convent or a palace or a hotel. The air in the barrio is perfumed by jasmine flowers and the orange trees that one finds here. Many of the palaces have wrought iron gates that allow one to peep into their beautiful patios. There are many small stores and some artisan shops, as well as good art galleries, which make this area very interesting.
One of the important palaces is the Hospital de los Venerables Sacerdotes (Hospital of the Venerable Priests). This is a Baroque palace that was finished in 1695 by the architect Leonardo Figueroa and is decorated with paintings by Valdes Leal and his son Lucas Valdes. There is a very beautiful patio, with plants arranged geometrically and with a fountain in the middle. The owner of the palace is the Focus-Abengoa Foundation and the palace is many times used for art exhibitions.
The Murillo Gardens were donated to the city by the Alcazar in 1911, which had used the land for its vegetable gardens before that. Juan Talavera designed the gardens. He also codesigned with Collaut Valera the monument to Columbus, which has two columns and an image of the ship Santa Maria, and an image of a lion in its cornice.
Another important building is the House of Murillo, where the painter lived his last years and died. His remains are buried in one part of the Plaza Santa Cruz. There is also the Plaza de Doña Elvira, which used to have the open air Theater of Comedies, where the Sevillian dramatist Lope de Rueda worked in the 16th century. Both squares are lined with orange trees. This barrio is very picturesque and is one of the favorite gathering places of the Sevillanos. The narrow streets of this charming barrio in the center has many restaurants, tapas bars, and flamenco. It is fun to get lost in the barrio and discover old historic palaces and peep into their beautiful patios.
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