El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-05

of that Andalusia that is inseparably
progress has so lightly touched this
ancient Spanish city that no radical
changes have been wrought in its ap-
pearance or the manner of living that
obtains among it's inhabitants. The
scent of orange blossoms is, literally,
one of the street odors in Seville, for
orange trees grow and bear fruit in
its principal thoroughfares, and the
black haired, black eyed, Andalusian
beauty, without a hat and wearing the
mantilla of old Spain is everywhere in
evidence.
The famous Cathedral.
The cathedral of Seville has been
described by Theophile Gautier as ris-
ing like an elephant amid a flock of
sheep, So greatly does it exceed in
size and Importance the other build
fngs that make up the city. This pro-
portiOnal Importance Of the chief re-
ligious edifice to the rest of the city,
INTELLECTUALLY, reflects the spirit Of
the times in which the Catholics who
succeeded the Moslems reared titanic
temples upon the ruins of Mohamme-
dan mosques. The Seville cathedral is
in fact a fine example of the building
that resulted from the triumph of the
Cross over the Crescent.
The life of the city centers around
the Plaza del Triunfo, the Alcazar and
the cathedral. The Giralda, an i'm
mense square tower rising above the
looming bulk of the cathedral. was
originally the minaret OF a mosque in
which the Moors worshipped, and was
erected in the 9th century by the con-
quering Almohad, Abu Yakub Yusuf.
with material taken from Roman and
Visigothic ruins. The Giralda Is q
typical Moslem prayer tower orna-
mented with network of sunken panels
figured with arabesques. 1t was origin
ally crowned by a fortified platform,
but this was removed by the Chris
tians and replaced by a belfry and
dome. Upon the top of the latter stands
a bronze female figure representing
Faith. This figure, Giraldillo. from
which the tower takessits name, IS a
weather vane which moves with the
wind. although IT weighs more than
q ton.
An Observatory.
The Giralda. ascended by a series of
inclined planes, affords a magnificent
view Of Seville and the Gaudalquivir
river. spanned by a handsome bridge
and full of shipping The general ap-
pearance of the city from the Giralda
at sunset is somewhat oriental, and
not greatly unlike Cairo, where the
minarets of mosques still prayed in by
the descendants of the Moors who in
Vaded Spain give a peculiar pic
turesqueness to the sky line. The
beautiful Patio de los Naranjos"-
was the court of the Moorish mosque
that formed the architectural center
piece of Seville in the days of Moham-
medan domination. The gate to the
court dates back to Moslem days. but
the story of the advance of the Chris
tians is written in the Picturesque or
namentation and figures Of Christian
saints that now adorn it.
The cathedral is one of the most i'm
pressive Gothic edifices remaining in
Europe. When the Spaniards took Sc
Vile they contenfed themse1vs with
consecrating the mosque of Abu Yakub
Yusuf- It is said that when the Chris
tians determined to build the cathedral,
in the 18th century, they announced
that they would erect a building that
would proclaim them the mightiest or
the maddest people in the world. More
than century was required to carry
out the design. It's total area is 1874
900 square feet, exceeded only by St
Peters in Rome, and its impressive
ness gave rise to the Spanish saying,
Toledo Ia RIGA. Salamanca Ia fuerte.
Leon Ia bella, Seville Ia grande"
When king Alfonso seeks quiet and
freedom from the routine duties of
state he likes to Ito Seville for a
rest. He brings down a number of
horses and motor cars and makes his
headquarters in the Alcazar. a palace
which Is next to the A1hambra in i'm
portance as an example of Saracenic
architecture in Europe. although it was
built by Christians. The Alcazar, like
the Alhambra, presents severely plain
and rather battered exterior, but its
interior retains many features of the
original construction. and its gardens
are the most beautiful subtropical gar
dens of southern Spain.
The original Alcazar was built upon
the ruins of Roman Praetorium for |
the A1mohad sultan, Abu Yakub Ye-
suf, in the 18th century, In the form |
Of q citadel Only the name Of this !
which means Place of Caesars |
is retained. The present Alcazar rep |
resents the building of Peter the Cruel |
and Henry II, who employed Moresco |
architects. A chapel built by Isabella |
The Catholic; the Court of the Maidens, !
built almost entirely by Charles V; |
fish pond added by Philip V during his
period of retirement in the Alcazar,
and a restoratio of the whole build |
ng in he 18th century, without much |
'egard to architectural accuracy, make !
he Alcazar hybrid rather than Sara
,enic from the point of view Of the I
student Of architecture. and rob 1t of |
yalue as a historic pile. but many of |
is motives were borrowed from the |
Alhambra, and its interior is as fas
ating In it's rare beauty as its ex
erior is suggestive, by it's severe SIM
,licity, lof the middle ages and the
doslem domination of the peninsula.
SeviIlians Love King.
King Alfonso is said to enjoy his
PERIODICAL sojourns in the Alcazar more
han life at Madrid, Npr even at San
sebastian, where he has summer
palace. The Sevillians are even tenn
,ered, easy going Andalusians who
larbor no seditious sentiments and
iearly love a king. When the king
ides forth from the palace gates IN
seville he knows he is not to be
arget for bombs, and The little royal
rinces driving out Of the embattled
ortals Of the Alcazar for an afternoon
uting are always greeted by an en-
husiastic crowd that fills all avail