Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas
|
Monasterio de Santa María de las Cuevas Monastery of Our Lady of the Caves |
|
|---|---|
Monastery of the Cartuja
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Seville, Andalusia, Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 37°23′55″N 6°0′32″W / 37.39861°N 6.00889°WCoordinates: 37°23′55″N 6°0′32″W / 37.39861°N 6.00889°W |
| Affiliation | Secularized |
| Country | Spain |
| Status | CAAC (Andalusian Center of Contemporary Arts) |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Monastery |
| Architectural style | Mudéjar-Gothic-Reinaissance-Baroque |
The Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas, also known as the Monastery of the Cartuja (Charterhouse), is a religious building on the Isla de La Cartuja in Seville, southern Spain. The Andalusian Contemporary Art Center (The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC)) is now located on this site.
Legend holds that the area, in Moorish times, was honeycombed with caves made by potters for ovens and to obtain clay, and that after the capture of the city by Christians in the thirteenth century, an image of the virgin was revealed inside one of the caves, where supposedly it had been hidden. It prompted the construction of a chapel of Santa María de las Cuevas to house the venerated icon. In the 15th century, the archbishop of Seville, aided by the noble family of Medina, helped found a Franciscan monastery at the site. Later constructions were patronized by don Perafán de Ribera (who built the Casa de Pilatos). In the 15th century, monks of the cloistered order of Saint Bruno were housed in the monastery.
Christopher Columbus' remains were first interred at Valladolid, then at the Monastery of the Cartuja by the will of his son Diego. In 1542 the remains were transferred to Colonial Santo Domingo.
During the Napoleonic invasion, the monastery was sacked and used as barracks. After returning in 1812, the monastery was finally vacated with the general closure of monasteries in 1835–36 (Desamortización de Mendizábal).
Following the confiscation of church property decreed by Juan Alvarez Mendizabal, Englishman Charles Pickman (1808–1883), acquired the Carthusian Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas in 1839. Commencing production in 1841, Pickman established innovative manufacturing methods such as importing raw materials, the use of molds, using specialised machinery, mechanical arms and presses, utiliing British ceramist experience while employing pottery workers from nearby Triana. The initial success of the factory led to La Cartuja de Sevilla becoming one of the most popular brands in Europe and in Latin American countries.
...
Wikipedia