ONE of Sevilla’s most stunning monuments, Pontius Pilate’s Home is a spot of grace and magnificence.
Sleek columns, magnificence in all places you look, scented bougainvillea cascading over partitions, and a small however beautiful backyard all mix to create an environment that stimulates the mind and charms the senses.
As we come as much as Easter, a few of us will recall the Bible tales from our schooldays, notably the one the place Jesus Christ was taken as a prisoner to seem earlier than the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The Jewish folks have been demanding his crucifixion, however the Roman politician refused to get entangled, famously ‘washing his fingers’ of the entire affair.
That is the right second to find out about Pontius Pilate’s Home (‘La Casa de Pilatos’) in Sevilla. However earlier than we discover the home, it’s essential to speak about ceramic tiles, recognized in Spanish as ‘azulejos.’
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Everyone knows that the ‘Deep South’ of Spain, the area often known as Andalucía, was beneath Arabic rule between 700 and 1500 AD. One of many lasting traits of this period is using azulejos. Within the scorching summers, tiles helped preserve the interiors of homes cool. Muslims, who have been strictly forbidden from making any drawing or design that may resemble Allah or Mohammed, targeted on geometric patterns as a substitute. This ability was maintained and even improved after Andalucía reverted to Christian rule.
This home showcases a number of the greatest tiles you’ll ever see, on the very partitions they have been designed to adorn. These tiles have been in place for 600 years!
An area aristocrat, Fadrique de Rivera (First Marquis of Tarifa), went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1519. Whereas there, he was proven the supposed ruins of Pontius Pilate’s Palace, and upon returning to Sevilla, he determined to construct a duplicate. They offered him a small marble column, which they claimed was the pillar to which Jesus was tied when he was flogged. Fadrique’s creativeness was ignited, and he deliberate to create a ‘Through Crucis’ (a duplicate of Christ’s route from Pilate’s Palace to Calvary, the place he was crucified) in Sevilla.
On Good Friday, Fadrique envisioned the spiritual folks of Sevilla gathering in his home to wish on the marble column. They’d then stroll in procession alongside his ‘route,’ ending in a subject outdoors town partitions, the place he would have a cross erected. This space turned often known as the ‘subject of the cross’ (‘el campo de la cruz’). When a German brewery purchased the positioning in Victorian occasions, they named their beer ‘Cruzcampo.’
You’ll be able to go to the Home’s floor ground (‘planta principal’) on most days of the yr. The doorway prices €12 (with all the same old reductions out there, and kids beneath 12 getting in free). Nonetheless, we propose you attempt to decide a day when the higher ground (‘planta superior’) is open. It prices a bit extra, however it’s effectively value it.
The home continues to be the house of the Dukes of Medinaceli, and when the household just isn’t in Sevilla, you possibly can tour their home quarters and examine their superb assortment of Previous Grasp work.
The home, after all, doesn’t resemble a Roman governor’s palace from biblical occasions. Nonetheless, it’s a marvelous ‘transition’ piece, with clear Renaissance options. Since Arab craftsmen have been employed as masons and carpenters, it additionally has a particular ‘jap’ really feel. This is likely one of the the reason why Pontius Pilate’s Home has appeared in varied movies.
In 1962, a number of scenes of Lawrence of Arabia have been filmed right here. Ridley Scott additionally used the situation for 2 of his motion pictures: 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Moreover, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz filmed Knight and Day right here in 2009.
