Triana, Seville
Encyclopedia
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
(Spain) that lies on the west bank of the Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the second longest river to be its whole length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
river. Like other neighborhoods that were historically split from the main city, it was known as an arrabal. Triana is placed in an almost-island between two branches of the Guadalquivir, narrowly linked to the mainland in the north. Other two districts are also placed in this city area, Los Remedios
Los Remedios
Los Remedios is a neighborhood of Seville, located on the Isle of Cartuja, south of the ancient neighborhood of Triana. It derives its name from a Carmelite convent of the same name found in that area...
to the south and La Cartuja
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 located on the site, the Monasterio de Santa María de las Cuevas...
to the north.
Residents of Triana have been traditionally named trianeros. They have a strong feeling of identity and sentimentally consider the neighborhood to be different from the rest of Seville. Triana has many hallmarks such as a traditional pottery industry, a strong flamenco culture, and its own festivals. Indeed, Triana plays an important role in the Seville culture and tradition.
Etymology
Triana past has been traditionally considered as a Roman colony founded by the emperor TrajanTrajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, who was born in the nearby city of Italica
Italica
The city of Italica was founded in 206 BC by the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in order to settle Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa, where the Carthaginian army was defeated during the Second Punic War...
. The name Triana would be derived from the supposed original denomination Trajana.
Other authors consider the name as a mixed language compromise formula, Tri from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, meaning "three", and ana from Celtiberian
Celtiberian
Celtiberian may refer to:*the Celtiberians, a Celtic people of the Iberian Peninsula*the Celtiberian language, a Celtic language...
, meaning "river", since in this area the Guadalquivir river would split in three branches.
A last hypothesis would be the derivation of "Triana" from the Latin expression Trans amnem, meaning "those beyond the river".
History
The first settlements in Triana area are dated from RomanHispania Baetica
Hispania Baetica was one of three Imperial Roman provinces in Hispania, . Hispania Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica was part of Al-Andalus under the Moors in the 8th century and approximately corresponds to modern Andalucia...
period. During Muslim rule
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
the neighborhood greatly developed around a castle built at 10th century. Triana's importance for the city was due to its strategic position between the cereal, vine, and olive tree fields from the Aljarafe region, being the road to Huelva
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
, harbour of the city and the last defense of Seville from the west before the city-walls. The construction of a bridge joining Triana and Seville in 1171 during the reign of Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf
Abu Yaqub Yusuf
Abu Ya`qub Yusuf or Yusuf I was the second Almohad Amir or caliph. He reigned from 1163 until 1184. He had the Giralda in Seville built....
, strongly helped the development of the neighborhood. It was a bridge made of boats (puente de barcas, literally, boat-bridge). The importance of Triana and its defensive role leaded Ferdinand III of Castile
Ferdinand III of Castile
Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
to destroy the castle of Triana and the bridge before taking Seville in 1248.
During Castile's rule, the castle of Triana was the seat of the Orders of Saint George, changing the name as Castillo de San Jorge (Castle of Saint George), and becoming the first church of the neighborhood. Later, in 1481, under the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
rule, it was the seat of the Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
until 1785. In 1854 was built the current bridge, Puente de Isabel II, main icon of Triana.
Since Triana is closely placed to the Guadalquivir, floodings frequently ruined the neighborhood, as Triana lacked any kind of defense against the river. During floodings, Triana inhabitants had to take refuge at the Castillo de San Jorge and Santa Ana church. The main flooding were at 1435, 1440, 1545, and 1554. Remodelation of the Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the second longest river to be its whole length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
channel system during the second half of the 20th century eventually finished with this hazard.
Triana was traditionally populated by sailors and potters, but also by construction workers, and industrialists. Also, many bull-fighters, and flamenco singers and dancers lived in the neighborhood. Triana also housed a large population of Romani people, sited at the street known as Cava de los Gitanos (today Pagés del Corro), but they were displaced because of the building interests at 70's.
Main streets, museums and landmarks
Triana is joined to Seville by way of the Isabel II bridge (popularly known as Puente de Triana, literally "Triana Bridge"). It was constructed between 1845 and 1852 by Gustavo Steinacher and Ferdinand Bennetot. It has on its west side a small Moorish RevivalMoorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of the Romanticist fascination with all things oriental...
chapel built by Aníbal González
Aníbal González
Aníbal Segundo González Espinoza is a retired Chilean footballer who played as a forward during his career...
in 1927. Both together constitute the most important symbol of the neighborhood. They were declared national monument at 1976, after a proposal of demolition.
At the southern side of the bridge is placed the Triana market, built in 2005 but also inspired in Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of the Romanticist fascination with all things oriental...
style. The remains of the Castillo de San Jorge are placed in the basement of this building, which is now home to educational exhibits relating to the history of the Inquisition.
The traditional gate to Triana from the bridge is the Altozano square, with the modern
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
monuments to Juan Belmonte bullfighter and Flamenco art. It continues into San Jacinto street, a pedestrian commercial street that crosses through the historical quarter from east to west. Is is named by the monumental San Jacinto church, built in 1676 by Matías de Figueroa for the Dominican order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
.
San Jorge and Castilla streets are the main axis to the north. Some interesting landmarks in this area are the Callejón de la Inquisición ("Inquisition alley"), that opens narrowly to the river, the Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of the Romanticist fascination with all things oriental...
building of the old Fábrica de Cerámica Santa Anta ("Santa Ana pottery factory"), future pottery museum, the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
Parroquia de la O ("Church of Our Lady of the O"), built between 1697 and 1702, and the El Cachorro chapel, seat of the homonymous Holy Week brotherhood.
To the south, and from Altozano square, Pureza is the main street that cross through the historical quarter. Here it is found the Santa Ana church, sentimentally considered the Cathedral of Triana. It was the first Catholic temple built in Seville after Muslim rule ended in the city in 1248, mixing early Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
and Mudéjar
Mudéjar
Mudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
styles. It was constructed by order of Alfonso X, and it contains an impressive retablo made by Pedro de Campaña. Another interesting places in this street are the Capilla de los Marineros ("the Sailors' chapel"), seat of the popular brotherhood knows as La Esperanza de Triana ("Our Lady of Hope of Triana"), and the Casa de las Columnas ("House of Columns"), where the first university of sailors of Seville was placed.
Finally, it should be underlined the Betis street, located along the river. It houses many of the city's most popular discotecas. It also offers what might be considered the best panoramic view of Seville's city center.
Triana traditionally had a large population of Romani people, who have usually lived in corrales, or communal homes. A corral is a building organized around a patio, which used to have a central fountain. The neighbors lived in the individual rooms opened to this communal patio. This image of Triana is no longer accurate, and most of the corrales have disappeared during latter 20th century due to building interests. Those that currently persist are scattered through the neighborhood and strictly protected as cultural and ethnographic heritage. Among them, it should be cited in Alfarería street the numbers 85 and 8-10 (from 19th century and 1913-1914 respectively), in Castilla street the numbers 7 (1907–1910) and 88A (1918), and the house named Corral Herrera in Pagés del Corro street (from 1909).
Festivals
The Holy WeekHoly Week in Seville
Holy Week in Seville is one of the most important traditional events of the city. It is celebrated in the week leading up to Easter , and is one of the better known religious events within Spain...
religious processions in Triana have a distinct character compared to those in the city center of Seville. Two of the most popular are La Esperanza de Triana ("Our Lady of Hope of Triana") and "El Cachorro" (literally "The Puppy"). The latter reflects the nickname of a sculpture of the dying Christ. It is said that the sculptor Ruiz Gijón, looking for a source of inspiration, saw the gypsy nicknamed Cachorro dying after a stabbing. He made the sculpture so similar to him that people realized the similarity and started to call the Christ by the gypsy's nickname: "El Cachorro".
Between 21 and 26 July, the Velá Santana is celebrated on Betis Street. It is the city's second most important fair after the Feria de abril de Sevilla
Seville Fair
The Seville Fair is held in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week....
, although it is much more older, dated from 13th century. Here people drink sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
wine and dance sevillanas
Sevillanas
Sevillanas are a type of folk music, sung and written in Seville in Spain. Historically, they are a derivative of Castilian folk music . They have a relatively limited musical pattern, but rich lyrics, based on country side life, virgins, towns, neighborhoods, pilgrimage, and love themes...
, a type of folk dance. Eating roasted sardines is also a popular activity during that fair. The cucaña is a popular competition during this celebration: people try to take a prize from the end of a slippery trunk placed on a ship over the river.