Collegiate Church of the Divino Salvador
Written by official guides
The Church of the Divino Salvador is Seville's second-largest church, built over the old Great Mosque of Ibn Adabbas from the 9th century. It stands on Plaza del Salvador, the heart of the city for 2,000 years.
Inside are preserved the Main Altarpiece by Cayetano de Acosta, the Cristo del Amor by Juan de Mesa, the Virgen de las Aguas, and the remains of a 9th-century ablutions courtyard that survived hidden away.
The mosque hidden beneath the Baroque church
The square where the church stands has 2,000 years of history: Roman mansions, the great mosque, a medieval hospital and an old cemetery (which is why it was called Plaza del Cementerio until the 19th century).
The current Mannerist façade is by Leonardo de Figueroa (1712), but in the shops at the back of the square you can still see the original horseshoe arches of the 9th-century mosque. The Patio de los Naranjos is the only complete ablutions courtyard from that period to survive in Seville: the base of the minaret is preserved in the tower's first two sections, along with Emirate-era plasterwork.
The 1356 earthquake caused the church to sink so badly that you could touch the roof from the street: it ended up 22 steps below today's ground level and had to be rebuilt three times.
What to see inside the Baroque church
The Main Altarpiece of the Transfiguration, by Cayetano de Acosta (18th century), is the church's most spectacular piece: Moses and Elijah flank Christ, with the Eternal Father above.
The Cristo del Amor, by Juan de Mesa (1620), is one of the sculptor's great works — he was also the author of the Jesús del Gran Poder — and still bears its original 17th-century nails.
In the Sacramental Chapel stands Jesús de la Pasión, a work by Martínez Montañés (1619), on its original silver Maundy Thursday altar.
The Virgen de las Aguas, on her Baroque altar, recalls the Virgen de los Reyes (Seville's patron saint) and is called 'of the Waters' after 18th-century prayers for rain.
The Bourbon crypt and the Treasury Museum
In the crypt, closed to general visitors and accessible only on authorised guided tours, rest members of the Spanish Royal Family: Don Carlos de Borbón y Borbón (1848–1909), Infante of Spain, his wife Doña Luisa de Orleans (1882–1958), grandmother of King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, and their children, including the Infanta María de las Mercedes.
The Treasury Museum, behind the main altar, preserves the processional regalia of the Virgen de las Aguas, the Baroque monstrance, 18th-century vestments and goldwork pieces from the old collegiate church.
Two important brotherhoods are based in the church: Jesús de la Pasión (processions on Holy Thursday) and the Cristo del Amor (processions on Palm Sunday). It's also home to 'La Lotera', one of Almonte's six branches in the city of Seville, which processions on 22 December.
Opening hours and tickets
Cultural visiting hours (with ticket): Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:30 (until 18:00 in July–August); Sundays 14:30 to 18:30.
There's free admission on Mondays from 17:00 to 17:30 (very limited), and Seville residents with ID enter free during normal hours.
Individual admission: €7 (€6 online). Combined ticket for Cathedral + Giralda + Salvador: €14 (€13 online), valid for 7 days from first use.
Closed on 1 and 6 January, Good Friday, Corpus Christi, 15 August and 25 December. Hours may vary for religious celebrations.
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