In the Seville of the XVII century, the urban renovation started in the XVI century will be continued. Wide and straight streets will be desinged and the front of the buildings will be abandoned to offer other monumental style. With the palaces and temples, squares to parties and trade activities are constructed. The wall with its almost 200 towers and a dozen of doors, preserved the town from inundations and plagues. 

The decadence of the trade with America when Seville lost its monopoly and with the plagues, the density of the city changed. With it, the abandoning of a lot of homes and streets appeared and many sites were difficult to maintain by the Government. So, we find a less tumultuous Seville. Now the city is characterized by the misery, beggers and hospitals. 
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More than keeping its power, the eclesiastical statement increases it. There was a total of 6 monasteries, 36 convents of monks and regular priests, and 28 convents of nuns besides the 29 churches. The XVII century is the period of the processions, the rogations, the penitent brotherhoods. 
 
Without any doubt, the strong religiosity marked the artistic works of those years. A clear manifestation of this is the great development of the imaginery or the eclesiastic orders to famous masters of painting, such as Murillo, Zurbaran or Valdes Leal.
 
 
The Route:
 
This walk will start from the site where the Gate of Carmona was placed, centre of a great trade activity, to finish in other of the old gates of the city, the Gate of Triana.
 
Our first visit will be in the first synagogue of Seville, today the church of Santa Maria la Blanca. This is a fantastic example to understand the aesthetic and the taste of the Sevillian in the XVII century, such as the plastic works by the Borja brothers for the roof. Very valued decoration because it belongs to the designs of the fabulous Sevillian painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo, who also painted the recently restaured canvas of the Last Dinner, for this temple.
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Through Santa Maria la Blanca street, we will find the Miguel de Mañana hose, situated in number 27 in Levíes street, who constructed for the XVII and nowadays Sevillians, an clear example of charity and the dedication to poor people. This spirit of religiosity, fear to death and search for the divine rest with a model life in Earth will be continuely reflected during this walk by the Baroque Seville.

TAfter passing the residencial zone of this part of the city, linked to a trade activity in Puerta de la Carne (Carne Gate), in Muñóz and Pabón or Cabeza del Rey Don Pedro streets, we will arrive to the old Plaza del Pan , passing the Plaza de la Alfalfa. 

The popularity of this square, full of shops of bread, fish and fruit, has been reflected in works of diverse writters such as Camilo José Cela, Muñóz y Pabón or Cervantes.

Through the narrowness of Cordoba street, very linked to shoemaker and tinsmith gilds, we will to Plaza del Salvador. One of the most singular buildings of this place is the church of the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Paz, of the XVII century. We will stop in this building that represents one of the many hospitals in the city that blocked the horrible action of the plagues that affected periodically to people in Seville. 

We will be able to contemplate the most complete representation of saints in Seville in a private walk along the naves of the church of El Salvador; Saint Fernando, Saint Hermenegildo, The Virgin de la Antigua, etc. The apotheosis of the Sevillian Baroque is constituted by two altarpieces by the Portuguese Cayetano de Acosta for this temple in El Salvador.

Result of the religiosity of this time, in Seville the best religious images is going to be produced and so the Sevillian school of imaginery started. The statue of Juan Martínez Montañes, situated in the Salvador square, indicated the place where the famous sculptor was every Saint Thursday to see the procession of the image of the nazarene of Pasion, named "the god of the wood".

Through Sagasta street, we will arrive to Sierpes street that in old times constituted an old branch of the Guadalquivir river. Some convents and other monastic institutions, which are useful to understand the art of this period, were built during the XVII and XVIII centuries the same as the jail, which has not been conservated nowadays.

After a stop in front of the Santo Angel church, which is the origin of the belief in the guardian angel, we will arrive to Plaza de la Magdalena. This zone was very linked to Triana Gate, whic constitutes then and now the East and West way of penetration in the city. 

Magdalena church has been evidence of religious processions, rogations, etc during the XVII and XVIII centuries. The inside of this temple, the best examples of the Sevillian altarpieces in that time. 

Result of the Sevillian devotions in the XVII century, now we can contemplate devotions such as Nuestra Señora de las Fiebres, to who women in that time asked protection against the pains of delivery.

We will know esculptures made by famous XVII century artists: Juan de Mesa, José Montes de Oca, Pedro Roldán, Francisco de Ocampo, Pedro Duque Cornejo, etc...

We will finish at Murillo´s Bar, where we will taste the best gastronomy of the city. The bar is located on the same street where this phenomenal artist was born.
 



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