Castilleja de la Cuesta: Churches, Haciendas and Festivals

The Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago Apóstol dates back to 1370 and features a Neo-Mudéjar style with three naves separated by pointed arches.

Culture and History

The main altar of the Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago Apóstol features the image of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad from the 16th century. It is accompanied by sculptures of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and Santiago Apóstol Peregrino from the 18th century.

The church's furnishings also include a green-glazed terracotta baptismal font dating from 1502.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción houses paintings from the former Convento de la O, as well as a Baroque main altar from 1702 created by Cristóbal Guadix.

The parish church of Santa María de la Concepción was permanently entrusted to the monks of the Third Order of Saint Francis by the Archbishop of Seville in 1400. Significant restorations took place in the mid-18th century and in the first third of the 19th century.

The Palacio de Hernán Cortés dates from the 16th century and is characterized by Neo-Mudéjar architecture. Hernán Cortés spent the last years of his life there and died in 1547.

In the mid-19th century, the palace came into the possession of the Dukes of Montpensier. They commissioned extensive remodeling, expansion and beautification works inside and in the gardens.

Today, the Palacio de Hernán Cortés houses a school and an institute.

The Hacienda de la Sagrada Familia is a complex in the town center dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, with the typical appearance of an olive-oil hacienda. It includes areas for wine and oil production, as well as an aristocratic residential area with a garden.

An oil mill has been preserved in the Hacienda de la Sagrada Familia; today, it houses the municipal Casa de la Cultura.

The façade of the Hacienda Santa Bárbara belongs to a former olive-oil hacienda and features a simple, rustic portal design as well as a gallery with white marble columns.

Festivals and Crafts

La Vuelta takes place on Easter Sunday and is considered a characteristic tradition of Castilleja de la Cuesta. Since 1999, it has been recognized as a “Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional de Andalucía” (Festival of National Tourist Interest of Andalusia).

The festivities in honor of the Inmaculada Concepción take place from December 1 to 8. The program includes, among other events, the Santo Rosario, a church service, the lowering of the image of the Virgin from the main altar and a besamans.

The festival of the Virgen de Guía is celebrated on July 2, when the image of the Virgen is carried in procession through the town's streets.

Alfombras Baldomero has been in existence since its founding in 1925 and specializes in handmade carpets and tapestries made using Turkish and Spanish knotting techniques.

Alfombras Baldomero offers self-guided and guided tours in Spanish of the restoration areas and workshops for handcrafted production. The tour is listed as lasting 30 minutes and takes place during the visiting season from October to April.

Cuisine

The production of Tortas de aceite in Castilleja de la Cuesta began in the second half of the 19th century and developed into one of the town's significant economic sectors.

You can find more destinations here: Seville, Burguillos, Almadén De La Plata, La Puebla De Los Infantes, Castilleja Del Campo, Carmona, Pruna and Mairena Del Alcor.

Getting There

Castilleja de la Cuesta is directly connected to the road network via the A-49 motorway between Seville and Huelva.

Buses run from Seville's Plaza de Armas bus station toward Aljarafe, stopping in Castilleja de la Cuesta.

To the higher-level travel overview: Seville.