Upper Chambers of the Royal Alcazars of Seville

A MELTING POT OF STYLES

The Upper Quarters contains a melting pot of architectural elements: Nasrid, Toledan, Caliphate and Almohad, creating an ornamental labyrinth that transports us to the Far East. All periods are represented and superimposed, although the Mudejar and Renaissance image predominates.

 

MAIN ROOMS

This has been and is currently the official residence of the kings and queens of Spain when they visit Seville. Their use is attributed to Patrimonio Nacional and includes several rooms amongst which the following stand out: the official or audience chamber, which preserves its original plasterwork arches; the bedroom of King Peter of Castile, one of the rooms of the 14th century Mudejar palace that has an incredible coffered ceiling; the Catholic Monarchs' viewpoint, influenced by the style of Granada and with one of the best views of the whole Alcazar; and the magnificent chapel of the Catholic Monarchs, a treasure from the beginning of the Renaissance.

 

THE UPPER CHAMBERS THROUGH HISTORY

The Upper Chambers survived an earthquake and a fire in the second half of the 18th century which damaged their oldest preserved parts, and restoration work was started in the middle of the 19th century that was never completed, but was a prelude to the work carried out between 1855 and 1857 under the direction of Rafael Contreras.

It was inhabited by Philip V during the "Lustro Real" (a five-year period during which the Spanish Monarchy and Court were based in Seville), and by Isabella II, Alfonso XII, Alfonso XIII and Juan Carlos I and others during their visits to Seville. The nineteenth-century furnishings are proof of their influence, including magnificent tapestries from the Royal Collection.