Texas Tech University

Cosas de Sevilla 11, Spring 2017

06 April 2017

Dear Friends and Family of The Texas Tech University Center in Sevilla,

¡Hola! We've had a quiet past couple of weeks as far as official trips, though we've been plenty busy with classes here at The Center. Also, many students took advantage of an extra-long weekend to travel.

The week before our trip to Madrid we had a beautiful home-town excursion, where we could learn more aspects about the history, art and culture of the city of Seville.

Friday, March 10, the group met at the Charity Hospital near the river Guadalquivir. It is located in the center of Seville, next to the Maestranza bullring, and it is considered one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture and art of the 17th century. The Charity Hospital is the main building of the Charity Brotherhood, and nowadays a large part is still used as a hospital, since the Brotherhood is involved in several charities. The hospital's chapel is open to the public. Upon entering the patio between the church and the hospital, the blue tile work depicting various biblical scenes immediately catches the eye. The church interior is decorated with themes of Death and Charity, both obsessions of the founder Miguel de Mañara.


Enjoying the pictures

Enjoy the pictures from the Charity Hospital, the Museum of Fine Arts, the market and the sevillanas class.

Dr. Inglis then escorted the group from the Charity Hospital to the Museum of Fine Arts, but first he took us to a traditional market so that the students could try the cherimoya, a delicious fruit native to Peru that is also cultivated in Spain. It was very interesting to know their opinion about this extremely sweet fruit!


Market

The Museum of Fine Arts is one of Seville's finest, and there the students received a real taste of Renaissance and Baroque art. Some of the bigger artists housed in this museum include: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Francisco de Zurbarán and Valdés Leal. We also got a taste for Diego Velásquez and Francisco de Goya, two of Spain's biggest artistic claims to fame, who the group really had the chance to appreciate in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Back to the Center, the Sevillanas dance class came to an end last Monday, and to celebrate, the students who took this class during the semester dressed up and practiced their skills. They will have a nice chance to show off their moves soon in the Sevilla Fair.

Dr. Inglis gave a special presentation about Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in the Center. It is one of the city's most important festivals together with the Sevilla Fair, and it takes place in the week leading up to Easter. It features the procession of pasos, or floats, with sculptures depicting scenes from the Bible, going from their churches to the Cathedral of Seville in the center of the city. Most of these sculptures are of great antiquity, and are considered artistic masterpieces. With the touching music accompanying the pasos and the thrilling atmosphere, it is considered not only a spiritual event, but also an artistic and cultural experience.


Dance Class

On Sunday we will open The Center for those interested in seeing one of the main processions that marches down our street. The second floor of The Center provides a great view of the procession and a really good feel for the atmosphere of the event.


Museum

While some students will take advantage to witness this world famous event, others will use it as an opportunity to mark some more European destinations off their list.

Since there are no classes next week, you will hear all about Semana Santa and more in two weeks.

¡Hasta pronto!
- Myriam.

Sevillanas