Carmona, Andalusia

Updated on Oct 08, 2024

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Country Spain Comarca Campiña de Carmona Time zone CET (UTC+1) Elevation 253 m		Autonomous community Andalusia Demonym(s) Carmonense or Carmonés Postal code 41410 Province Province of Seville

Weather 11°C, Wind SW at 24 km/h, 76% Humidity Points of interest Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro, Museo De La Ciudad De Carm, Alcázar de la Puerta de Sevilla, Porta De Sevilla

St fernando square carmona andalusia spain europe

Carmona is a town of south-western Spain, in the province of Seville; it lies 33 km north-east of Seville.

Map of 41410 Carmona, Seville, Spain

Carmona is built on a ridge overlooking the central plain of Andalusia; to the north is the Sierra Morena, with the peak of San Cristobal to the south. The city is known for its thriving trade in wine, olive oil, grain and cattle, and holds an annual fair in April.

Carmona sevilla andaluc a spain europe

History

Carmona, known as Carmo in the time of Julius Caesar (100–44 BC), was a Roman stronghold of Hispania Baetica. The city was made even more impregnable during the long occupation of the Moors, who erected walls around it, and built fountains and palaces within. In 1247, Ferdinand III of Castile captured the town, and bestowed on it the Latin motto Sicut Lucifer lucet in Aurora, sic in Wandalia Carmona ("As the Morning-star shines in the Dawn, so shines Carmona in Andalusia").

Climate

Carmona has a Mediterranean climate with a sunny spring and typically some rain in that season. In October, the average temperature ranges from a minimum of 13 °C to a maximum of 26 °C. The city experiences a moderate level of annual precipitation and has pleasant winter temperatures.

Main sights

Palace of King Don Pedro, built in the 13th century by Peter I of Castile. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1504.

Moorish alcázar

Palace of Rueda

Palace of the Marquess of Torres

Seville Gate Palace

Baroque palaces of Alonso Bernal Escamilla, Aguilar, Domínguez, and Lasso

Córdoba Gate, the gate on the road to Córdoba, partly of Roman construction

Seville Gate, of Carthaginian origins, has the remains of later Roman additions, and was modified in the Middle Ages by the Moors and the Christians.

Marchena Gate, built during the Almohad domination of Spain

Roman Bridge

Remains of the Via Augusta

Tree-lined avenue of Alfonso XIII

Roman Necropolis, discovered in 1881. It is located close to the town, beside the Seville road, and contains more than nine hundred family tombs dating from the second century BC to the fourth century AD. Enclosed in subterranean chambers hewn from the rock, the tombs are often frescoed and contain a series of niches in which many of the funeral urns remain intact. Some of the larger tombs have vestibules with stone benches for funeral banquets and several retain carved family emblems.

The Tomb of the Elephant and the Tomb of Servilia in the necropolis

Roman Amphitheatre, also discovered in 1881, together with a group of tombs, all belonging to the first four centuries AD, near the original necropolis.

Ayuntamiento (Town Hall)

Cave of the Batida

Fountain of the Lions

Hospital of the Mercy and the Charity Church of Saint Bartholomew

Tower of the Peak

Market

Cerezo Theatre

Religious buildings

Church of San Pedro (15th century). Its tower is a medieval replica of the Giralda bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville.

Church of Santa Maria de la Asunción

Church of El Salvador (17th century), in Baroque style

Church of the Convent of Santa Ana

Church of San Blas

Church of San Felipe (14th century)

Church of Santiago

Convent of the Immaculate Conception

Convent of the Trinity

Convent of Las Descalzas Discalced Carmelite Nuns

Convent of Santa Clara (15th century), with a Mudéjar church renovated in 1664 in Baroque style

Hermitage of San Mateo (15th century)

Hermitage of Our Lady of Real or San Antón (15th century).

Ermita de la Virgen de Gracia (Our Lady of Grace, the patron saint of Carmona)

Gastronomy

Carmona's restaurants and bars demonstrate a variety of Spanish cuisine including tapas and other dishes. The city is known for its traditional Andalusian cooking. A pub crawl of various bars, called the Ruta de las tapas (Tapas Route) is noteworthy; it is marked with blue and white signs, and even appears in the seal of the city.

Typical Carmonan dishes include: sopa de picadillo (a chicken soup), pringá, chickpeas, snails, salmorejo, spinach, tagarnina (thistles), serrano ham, partridge from the mountains, gazpacho, chickpea soup, tomato soup, potatoes, and cuajados (curdled eggs).

Sweets include: torta inglesa, hojaldres (puff pastry), rice with milk, torrija (French toast), polvorónes (shortbread), almond cakes, chestnut stew with cinnamon, porridge sprinkled with cinnamon, and cortadillos (sweet cakes). A variety of desserts are made in the convents of the city, mainly by the nuns of Santa Clara.

A common alcoholic beverage is Anise Los Hermanos, which is distilled and packaged in Carmona; it comes in three degrees of dryness: crisp, sweet and semi.

Films

With its rich historical and artistic patrimony lending the city an especially atmospheric appearance, Carmona has been the setting of numerous films,and continues to attract movie crews. The Location Managers Guild of America, an association that coordinates shoot locations for movie and television production companies from the United States, has shown special interest in the city centre.

References

Carmona, Andalusia Wikipedia

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