El Salvador Collegiate Church

You are facing the Collegiate Church of the Divine Saviour, simply known as El Salvador. After the Cathedral it is the largest church in Sevilla and one of the most surprising. Where you see this red-brick Baroque façade today there once stood the great mosque of Almohad Sevilla, even older than the one that gave rise to the Cathedral. Traces of that mosque survive: the Patio de los Naranjos, hidden beside the church, and remains of the old minaret inside the bell tower. The present building was raised in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by several Sevillan architects. Inside, let your eyes adjust to the golden light: a Baroque outburst of altarpieces, solomonic columns and movement. The main altarpiece, dedicated to the Transfiguration, is a masterpiece of Sevillan Baroque. Look for Jesus of the Passion, a sculpture attributed to Martínez Montañés, and for the chapel of the Cristo del Amor, deeply loved across the city. Outside, Plaza del Salvador is one of the liveliest gathering spots in Sevilla, especially at sunset, with cold beer, manzanilla and conversation. Visitor tip: a joint ticket with the Cathedral saves both queue and money. And before leaving, raise your eyes to the tower: its lower stones still carry, in silence, the Islamic centuries of Sevilla.