Churches and Convents

The weather here in Sevilla has been like full summer in California with brilliant sun and slight humidity, but a heat that is sweetened by a light breeze every so often. I went for a walk this morning with three other girls to take advantage of the lovely weather and the quiet streets. For Christmas, my parents gave me a guidebook of Sevilla full of self-guided neighborhood walks and special walking tours of the city. It has seriously been one of the best and most useful gifts I have ever received; I have used it countless times and learned so much about the city and the history that is hidden on every corner.

Today we did a tour of churches and convents in the area of Sevilla known as La Macarena (which has absolutely nothing to do with Ricky Martin). We first passed by Iglesia del Salvador, a beautiful church that used to be the city’s main cathedral before the actual cathedral was built. Iglesia del Salvador was redone in later years, and now is now one of the most impressive baroque churches in the city—in terms of both architecture on the outside and art on the inside. Next stop was Iglesia de San Pedro, another baroque church that although much simpler than el Salvador, is still very beautiful. One of the tile paintings depicting purgatory on the outside of Iglesia de San Pedro has a small bird hidden in it (which I found); according to local legend, if you find the bird, it means you will get married...

Well, anyway, we moved on to the Monasterio de Santa Ines, a lovely small convent full of cloister nuns (meaning they have no contact with the outside world). Many of the convents in Sevilla (and I imagine in the rest of Spain and Europe too) don’t get as steady a stream of support as they did in past centuries, so they have to find other ways to support themselves. Many of them make jams, pastries, and other sweets to sell and sometimes rosaries and other crafts as well. However, it is difficult to sell things when you are a cloister nun and are shut off from the outside world, so they have developed an ingenious system. There is a small alcove with a rotating shelf in the wall where, after you ring the bell, a nun from behind the wall will ask you what you want. You then put the money on the shelf and she will turn the shelf around, take the money, put the pastries on her side of the shelf, and turn it back around so you can take them. I bought some tortas de chocolate, which turned out to be small chocolate biscuit/shortbread type cookies. Christy bought some magdalenas, which are kind of like the Spanish version of a muffin.

We went on to see a few more churches—Iglesia de San Marcos, Convento de Santa Isabel, and Palacio de las Dueñas—but my favorite was the Convento de Santa Paula, which is one of the few enclosed religious complexes in Sevilla that welcomes visitors. We went inside and talked to a nun who was adorable and lovely. She asked us about where we were from and how long we had been in Sevilla. She called us guapa and complimented me on my Spanish. I wish you could see how big I smiled. The nuns there make jam and marmalade, and we each bought some before leaving. Buying sweets and jam from nuns is like the epitome of fair trade—you buy all-natural products (made with love and prayer, nonetheless) and the money goes directly to good deeds and social justice without any intermediary. I think things might taste better when they are made by nuns.

In any case, it was a very lovely day.