Plaza Nueva (The New Square), Seville

Plaza Nueva (New Square), located in Seville's heart, is home to the city's municipal building. This square, now a central public area, originally belonged to the San Fernando convent from 1270 to 1840. It was later repurposed by the city authorities into a plaza, completed in 1856.

Initially, this site was part of the Guadalquivir River until the 11th century. Remarkable historical discoveries, including a 10th-century ship and a 6th-century Byzantine anchor, were unearthed here in 1981 during the Seville Metro construction. By the 11th century, the area transformed into a cemetery and orchards.

The Plaza Nueva's space was once occupied by the Convento Casa Grande de San Francisco from 1270 to 1840. This convent, with its extensive gardens, stretched beyond today's plaza boundaries, reaching up to the current Calle Zaragoza. The 19th-century Napoleonic invasion severely damaged the convent, culminating in a fire in 1810. In 1840, the government acquired and demolished the remaining structures, paving the way for the plaza.

Central to Plaza Nueva is a statue of Fernando III, who seized Seville in 1248 and was canonized in 1671. The plaza's design initially contemplated various monuments, including tributes to Murillo and Isabella II, but ultimately, in 1920, it was resolved to honor Fernando III. The monument, a collaboration between architect Juan Talavera y Heredia and sculptor Joaquín Bilbao, was unveiled in August 1924.