Discover Gines: Churches, Ceramic Art and Rocío Traditions

Culture

The Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Belén is located in Gines and is a late Mudéjar church dating from the 16th century. The building was erected over an older structure. The church was remodelled in the 17th century during the Renaissance. The main altar is designed in the Rococo style. At its centre is an anonymous image of Nuestra Señora de Belén. This work was created at the end of the 16th or beginning of the 17th century.

The succession of different construction phases makes the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Belén a place where architectural history and sacred art are directly intertwined. The older structure is just as much part of its history as the later design and remodelling. Inside the church, the forms of the main altar and the central image are set within a shared spatial context.

The Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Belén is also home to “The Ascension of Christ”. The painting is dated 1725. It is by the Sevillian painter Domingo Martínez and is considered one of perhaps the most outstanding paintings there.

Alongside the anonymously attributed depiction, the painting adds a work by a named artist in the same church. Different forms of artistic heritage thus meet there without diminishing the sacred character of the site. The combination of architecture, altar and painting gives the church interior its particular thematic richness.

The Ermita de Santa Rosalía in Gines was built in 1723. It is one of the town’s most emblematic and historically significant buildings. The building has a basilica-style floor plan. Inside, there is a Baroque main altar whose central figure is Santa Rosalía.

The Ermita de Santa Rosalía likewise represents a combination of external architectural form and designed interior furnishings. The basilica-style floor plan describes the architectural layout, while the main altar gives the interior its religious character. Thus, alongside the parish church, Gines has another independent religious building with its own historical classification and visual language.

The Ruta de las Sevillanas de Gines comprises 17 Sevillanas from Gines. They are displayed on an equal number of hand-painted, artisan-crafted ceramic panels. The panels were made by the ceramic artist María Ángeles Garrido Peña. The Ruta de las Sevillanas de Gines can be seen on Conde de Ofalia, Alcalde José Antonio Cabrera and Blas Infante streets.

The route brings musical heritage and ceramic art into the public space. Unlike the two religious buildings, it is not tied to a single interior but is spread across several streets in Gines. As a result, the depiction of the Sevillanas becomes part of the townscape, where craftsmanship and the local song heritage appear together.

Traditions

“Una Pará en Gines” is a tourist fair of great importance. It revolves around nature and the town’s strong Rocío tradition. The fair lasts four days and includes numerous activities for all audiences.

The event adds an explicitly nature- and Rocío-related focus to the cultural impression of Gines. Its four-day duration gives this theme its own timeframe. Together with the religious sites and the ceramic route, the fair forms another public expression of local traditions.

Line M-160 connects Gines and Seville. Plaza de España, together with Calle Real, was converted into a pedestrian zone.

The townscape therefore includes both a named connection to Seville and an area designed as a pedestrian zone. The streets mentioned for the ceramic route and the pedestrian zone locate the described cultural elements within Gines, while the M-160 connects the town with Seville.

Getting around Gines

Other places: El Garrobo, Benacazón, Castilleja De La Cuesta, Pilas, Los Corrales, El Real De La Jara, Carmona, San Nicolás Del Puerto

To the higher-level travel overview: Seville.