Osuna: Ducal town with a whitewashed historic centre

Osuna is a ducal town and has been designated a historic-artistic complex. The historic centre is characterised by a rich monumental heritage and typically Sevillian, whitewashed buildings.

Culture and history

The Colegiata de Osuna was founded in 1535. D. Juan Téllez Girón, the 4th Count of Ureña, had obtained a papal bull for this purpose. Through this bull, the parish church at the time was also elevated to a collegiate church. The Colegiata was built from ashlar stone extracted from the quarries of Osuna.

The first room of the Museo Arqueológico de Osuna displays prehistoric remains. Reproductions of Iberian reliefs found in Osuna can also be seen there. Today, the Museo Arqueológico de Osuna is located in a tower of the 12th-century Almohad city walls. This tower was rebuilt in the 14th century by the knights of the Order of Calatrava. The Museo de Osuna includes a “Salón de Hielo y Fuego” dedicated to the series “Juego de Tronos”.

In Osuna, Pope Paul III approved the establishment of an Estudio General on 10 October 1548 through the bull “In Supereminenti Apostolicae Sedis”. This institution was placed under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. Osuna’s Semana Santa was recognised in 1999 as a “Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional de Andalucía”.

Historic sites

The Canteras de Osuna are former quarries located in the area of ancient Urso. Their spectacular stone reliefs have earned them the name “Petra of Andalusia”. In Coto Las Canteras, a natural auditorium has been used, among other things, for television shoots, concerts, recitations, charity galas and cultural talks.

The late antique necropolis of Osuna is an outdoor site that can be visited free of charge every day. The caves of the necropolis are predominantly attributed to the Paleo-Christian period.

The Canteras therefore include not only the former quarries in the area of ancient Urso, but also the stone reliefs preserved there, whose spectacular appearance gave rise to the designation “Petra of Andalusia”. A natural auditorium in Coto Las Canteras was used, among other things, for television shoots, concerts, recitations, charity galas and cultural talks.

The historic sites in Osuna preserve different chronological references. The necropolis is predominantly attributed to the Paleo-Christian period, while the tower of the Museo Arqueológico dates back to an Almohad city wall from the 12th century and was rebuilt in the 14th century by the knights of the Order of Calatrava. The Colegiata, in turn, points to a later period through its foundation in 1535 and its ashlar construction.

Getting there and water sports

The A-92 motorway, which connects the south with eastern Spain, runs through the municipality of Osuna. Trains to Osuna operate from Seville, Málaga, Granada, Almería and Cádiz.

The nature reserve on the Río Corbones in the province of Seville is considered navigable and particularly suitable for water sports enthusiasts.

Other places

Other places: El Castillo De Las Guardas, Peñaflor, La Algaba, Constantina, El Viso Del Alcor, Sanlúcar La Mayor, Santiponce, Cazalla De La Sierra.

To the main travel overview: Seville.