San Telmo Palace

You are standing in front of the Palace of San Telmo, one of the most striking Baroque façades in Sevilla. Look first at the main doorway: that dance of columns, niches and figures is the work of Leonardo de Figueroa, in the early 18th century. On top, the balustrade with statues honours famous Sevillans, added in the 19th century. The building was originally a Seminary College for Mariners, a school where pilots, cosmographers and officers trained before crossing the Atlantic to the Indies. Many of the captains who kept the route to the New World alive walked out of these doors. Later it became the residence of the Dukes of Montpensier, and the gardens were used as open-air salons. Part of those gardens form today's María Luisa Park, donated by the Infanta to the city. San Telmo now houses the Presidency of the Government of Andalusia, so it is rarely open inside, but the façade alone is worth the walk. Look closely and you will recognise Hercules, Mercury, the virtues, the signs of the zodiac… a Baroque lesson in power, science and navigation carved in stone. Turn around: you are in one of the noblest corners of the city, with the old University on one side, the Guadalquivir steps away and the Torre del Oro in the distance. Visitor tip: come in the late afternoon, when the western sun gilds the façade; that is when the Baroque really breathes. From here, walk on into María Luisa Park and Plaza de España; you will still be inside what was once the estate of San Telmo.