Centenary Murillo | 03 ENE

During the year of 2017, we celebrated the fourth centenary of the birth of the Seville baroque painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, popularly known as Murillo, here in Seville.

Born in the city of Seville in 1617, and being one of the main personalities of the Seville school of painting, with a large number of disciples who brought his influence until the late eighteenth century, he was also the best known and most appreciated Spanish painter outside Spain.

- Video (c) ABC SEVILLA -

For this event the city of Seville has launched an initiative called "Murillo 1617-2017" to commemorate the greatness of the figure of the Seville painter.

Most of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's works, because of his clients, include religious portraits and paintings for churches and convents. That is why here we have a great legacy of the man who was probably one of the most important Baroque painters of the capital Seville.

But where can we find his works? Perhaps the largest group of the painter's works can be found in the current Museum of Fine Arts in Seville, located in Plaza del Museo, right in the city centre. More than 20 original works by the painter are displayed in Room V, dedicated to Sevillian Baroque.

As we have already said, the artist has created numerous works for churches and convents, today many of them are preserved in extraordinary form and exhibited in the places for which they were made. An example is the series of works that we can admire in the Hospital del Señor San Jorge (Hospital de la Caridad), original works that were not stolen during the French invasion, along with reproductions of works that were stolen from us by Marshal Soult during the French occupation.

The Cathedral of Seville, the Archiepiscopal Palace or the Archive of the Indies are some of the places that house paintings of Murillo in the historic center. In PanchoTours we have daily visits to the Cathedral of Seville, where you can learn about and admire some of Murillo's original works, such as the pictorial altarpiece of the Vision of St. Anthony of Padua, the Baptism of Christ or the Guardian Angel, all accompanied by explanations from our local guides who will introduce you to the history of the cathedral connected to the life of Murillo.

The Santa Cruz neighbourhood, where we do our "Tour of the Santa Cruz District", has a great relationship with Bartolomé Esteban Murillo because here you can find the remains of the Seville painter and the place where he lived known as the Murillo House. There are also many places where we can come across his works, such as the Hospital de los Venerables, the Church of Santa Maria la Blanca or the Parish of San Bartolomé.

At PanchoTours, we love to convey and show our history, so it will be a unique opportunity for our guides to commemorate a person like Bartolomé Esteban Murillo who was so important to the history of art.