La Cartuja
The Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas - La Cartuja is a former Carthusian monastery in Seville , the capital of the Andalusia region in Spain . It is located between the arms of the Guadalquivir on the island of La Cartuja , which got its name after the Charterhouse.
The Charterhouse was the symbolic center of Expo 92 , the 1992 World Exhibition in Seville (Exposición Universal de Sevilla 1992).
history
Christopher Columbus was accepted into the Charterhouse in the 16th century . The porcelain factory of Charles Pickman (1808–1883) with slender chimneys was built in the 19th century and this is where the royal pavilion of Expo 92 was located.
The monastery owned up to 800 hectares of land. The wealth of the monastery, which arose partly from the donations of its patrons and partly from the proceeds of its fertile soil, benefited the promotion of the arts as well as the fight against the recurring floods. The first agricultural machines were used here, and the industrial revolution also left its mark: in 1839, the Englishman Pickman set up his china factory here. The stoves and chimneys of the former production facility are a landmark of Seville and the Expo; they are a reminder that the factory has been recognized for its excellent porcelain at international exhibitions.
The 120,000 m² site used to consist mainly of utility and landscape gardens with bucket wheels, pleasure houses, a lookout point (1636) and the still preserved low oak on which Columbus used to sit.
Monastery complex and buildings
The walls of the Carthusian monastery enclose several courtyards , cloisters and chapels with sculptures , paintings and ceramics that are well worth seeing .
The chapel on the west wall, rebuilt after the Lisbon earthquake (1755), served as the royal pavilion during Expo 92. In earlier times the kings stayed in the prior cell, which is modeled on the Sevillian patrician house of the 16th and 17th centuries. The St. Anne chapel of the Gothic church (15th century) once housed the remains of Columbus, who had found support, friendship and a place of trust in the Charterhouse, where he left his belongings in safekeeping.
Around the small Mudéjar-style cloister on the south side of the church are the refectory (15th century) and the chapter chapel (Gothic, 15th century) with the Italian marble tombs of Ribera, the monastery patron . Three of the oldest cells from the large cloister have been preserved.
Todays use
The facility, which was repaired and enlarged on the occasion of Expo 92, now represents the symbolic center of this world exhibition dedicated to research and cutting-edge technology. Some of the works of international, important artists on the island have been damaged in recent years, fallen victim to excavators, disfigured and even been stolen. This affects Stephan Balkenhol's “Man with a White Shirt and Black Pants” or a ceramic work by Roberto Matta .
literature
- Raúl Rispa, César Alonso de los Ríos, María José Aguaza (eds.): Official Guide Expo '92. Electa, Milan 1992, ISBN 88-435-3952-3 .
Web links
Coordinates: 37 ° 23 '54.6 " N , 6 ° 0' 26.3" W.