Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas
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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 ''Isla de la Cartuja'' (; ) is an island in the Guadalquivir River at Seville, Spain. The island's name derives from the cloistered monastery (Cartuja) located on the site, the '' Monasterio de Santa María de las Cuevas'', where Cristopher Colu ...
in
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
, southern
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The Andalusian Contemporary Art Center (The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC)) is now located on this site.


History


Monastery

Legend holds that the area, in
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
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 The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
monastery at the site. Later constructions were patronized by don Perafán de Ribera (who built the
Casa de Pilatos La Casa de Pilatos (Pilate's House) is an Andalusian palace in Seville, Spain, which serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. It is an example of an Italian Renaissance building with Mudéjar elements and decorations. It is con ...
). In the 15th century, monks of the cloistered order of Saint Bruno were housed in the monastery.
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
' 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).


Ceramics Factory

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, utilising 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 Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and in
Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...
countries. La Cartuja de Sevilla received numerous awards in international exhibitions: Paris (1856, 1867 and 1878), London (1862), Porto (1865), Vienna (1872), Seville (1858, 1929 and 1949), Barcelona (1888), Bayonne (1864), Philadelphia (1876), and in 1871 was named Provider of the Royal House of Spain by Amadeo I of Savoy who later granted the title of Marquis of Pickman founder of La Cartuja de Sevilla. Charles Pickman is also distinguished by his admission to the Most Noble Order of the British Garter, which is used as a trademark in some models from the factory. Production continued until 1984. The bottle shaped kilns and tall chimney are the legacy of the ceramics factory.


National Monument and museum of contemporary art

In 1964, the monastery was declared a national monument, and now is owned by the government of Andalusia, which create a new institution called "Monumental Ensemble of the Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas". Restorations were made for the
Seville Expo '92 The Seville Expo '92 was a universal exposition that took place from Monday, April 20 to Monday, October 12, 1992, on La Isla de La Cartuja (Charterhouse Island), Seville, Spain. The theme for the expo was "The Age of Discovery", celebrating the ...
, directed by Bartolomé Ruiz González, the first and only one director of the Monumental Ensemble from 1989 to 1994. In 1997, the older part of the monastery became the site of a museum of contemporary art, the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC).


The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC)

The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC) was created in February 1990 with the aim of giving the local community an institution for the research, conservation and promotion of contemporary art. In 1997 the Cartuja Monastery became the centre's headquarters. The CAAC, an autonomous organisation dependent on the Andalusian Government (Junta de Andalucía), took over the collections of the former Conjunto Monumental de la Cartuja (Cartuja Monument Centre) and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Sevilla (Contemporary Art Museum of Seville). One of the main aims of the centre has been to develop a programme of activities attempting to promote the study of contemporary international artistic creation in all its facets. Temporary exhibitions, seminars, workshops, concerts, meetings, recitals, film cycles and lectures have been the communication tools used to fulfil this aim. The permanent collection includes pieces by Luis Gordillo, Candida Hofer, Rebecca Horn, Pablo Palazuelo, Joseph Kosuth and Louise Bourgeois. It focuses in particular on the history of contemporary Andalusian creativity and its relationship with other national and international artistic contexts. Since 1994 the centre has organised a series of themed exhibitions relating to different aspects of the Monastery in which pieces from its archives address relevant events in contemporary aesthetic creation. Visitors to the museum may also see the historical grounds of the former monastery which includes the old chain door, atrium, chapels of Santa Catalina, San Bruno, Santa Ana, Profundis and la Magdalena, the priory cell, church, the sacristy, cloisters, monks' chapter, refectory, gardens and orchards.


External links


History of La Cartuja de Sevilla


References

{{Authority control Santa Maria de las Cuevas 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Buildings and structures in Seville Museums in Andalusia Tourist attractions in Seville Ceramics museums Santa Maria de las Cuevas