Monumento Columnas de Hércules - Seville

These impressive Roman buildings transcend time and are a living symbol of Seville's history.

Located in the heart of Seville , Plaza de la Alameda has been transformed into a meeting place for locals and tourists. Surrounded by a choice of cafes, bars and restaurants, this bustling and lively square invites you to immerse yourself in the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that characterizes the city.

Here, on this square, are the iconic Columns of Hercules. Two columns were placed on the south side in April 1574 , a sign of the undeniable admiration for the Roman archaeological remains of that time. These columns came from a building in Calle Mármoles (of which there are three other columns in the above-mentioned street). These columns had in turn been reused in that building, so it is thought that they may have come from the Traianeum in Italica . Two statues of Diego de Pesquera were placed on it, of Hercules (mythical founder of the city) and Julius Caesar (restorer of Híspalis). The first was a copy of the Farnese Hercules, of monumental dimensions approaching the actual size of the Roman copy from the Baths of Caracalla. This copy from 1574 is the first large marble copy in Europe of the Theban hero, which had been so successful since the discovery (1546) of the largest part of the statue, which was incomplete due to the absence of the head (found in a well in Trastevere, ca. 1550) and the legs (found in 1560 in the Baths of Caracalla).

Furthermore, these statues represented the two monarchs of the new ruling house in Spain . Thus , Hercules represents Emperor Charles I and Julius Caesar represents his son Philip II, and both conclude the architectural composition of the monument by looking at each other, which invisibly closes the ensemble in the style of Roman triumphal arches. The first civil monument in Seville was thus completed, emphasizing the former greatness of the city and also the new monarchy, as Charles I had used the two columns of Hercules in his coat of arms, which are still used today in the coat of arms of Spain .

Willem Vandenameele