Who is the Patroness of Seville? The answer may seem obvious today, but an old Sevillian tradition tells a much more complicated story. The Virgin of the Kings, the Virgin of the Hiniesta, Our Lady of the See and even an ancient image of the Virgin of the Pillar all appear in a tale that attempts to trace the origins of Marian devotion in Seville back to the earliest days of Christianity.
THE ILLUSTRATED LEGEND
Discover the story through our illustrated audiovisual version.
THE TRADITION OF SEVILLE'S TRUE PATRONESS
An ancient story about the origins of Marian devotion in Seville.
According to the Sevillian tradition collected by José María de Mena, the story begins in the earliest years of Christianity. The Apostle Saint James is said to have travelled to Hispania and reached Seville, where he began preaching the new faith and gathered a small community of converts. Before continuing his journey, he supposedly appointed a man named Pius as the first bishop of the Christian community of Hispalis.
The tradition describes Pius as a sculptor from a small settlement near the Guadalquivir, between what are now Puebla del Río and Coria del Río. Saint James later asked him to accompany him north through Hispania. When they reached Zaragoza, both men became discouraged by the difficulties they encountered while preaching Christianity.
It was there, according to the religious tradition, that the Virgin Mary appeared before Saint James and Pius while standing upon a stone pillar. Strengthened by the vision, Saint James continued his mission and instructed Pius to return to Seville and create an image representing the Virgin exactly as they had seen her.
Back in Hispalis, Pius is said to have modelled an image of the Virgin standing upon a pillar. The figure was placed in the secret meeting place of Seville's first Christian community, and according to the legend it became the earliest Marian patronage associated with the city. Centuries later, after Christianity was permitted openly within the Roman Empire, the image was supposedly transferred to the church of San Vicente.
The tradition claims that this image remained there throughout the Roman and Visigothic periods until the Muslim conquest of 711. From that moment its fate became unknown. It may have been destroyed, or perhaps, as the story suggests, someone carried it away from Seville to protect it.
After the Christian conquest of Seville by Ferdinand III in 1248, other Marian devotions acquired great importance. Our Lady of the See became closely associated with the Cathedral, while Saints Justa and Rufina, the ancient Sevillian martyrs, held a privileged place among the city's religious protectors.
Another important tradition concerns the Virgin of the Hiniesta. According to the story, an ancient image was discovered in Aragón and brought to Seville after a message associated it with a church near the old Puerta de Córdoba. It was placed in the parish of San Julián and became deeply connected with the city. Following the terrible plague of 1649, the Municipal Corporation established a special relationship with the Hiniesta, who became Patroness of Seville's City Council.
The Virgin of the Kings, meanwhile, had been venerated for centuries in the Royal Chapel of Seville Cathedral and was traditionally linked to King Ferdinand III. Her devotion eventually received formal recognition when, in the 20th century, she was officially proclaimed Patroness of Seville and its Archdiocese.
José María de Mena's traditional account nevertheless preserves a different interpretation: that the lost image of the Virgin of the Pillar created by Pius should be regarded as Seville's earliest and original patroness, while the other Marian images held different forms of patronage connected with the Cathedral, the City Council or the Archdiocese.
The result is a fascinating example of how devotion, local tradition and history can overlap. Rather than a simple answer to the question of who protects Seville, the legend preserves the memory of the many Marian devotions that have accompanied the city through the centuries.
BETWEEN HISTORY AND LEGEND
Tradition and the official patronage of Seville are not the same thing.
The account of Saint James preaching in Seville, Pius as the city's first bishop and the creation of an image of the Virgin of the Pillar belongs to a long religious tradition rather than to securely documented contemporary history. Historical studies of Seville's early episcopate note that Saint Pius appears in later devotional tradition and not among the oldest documented lists of Sevillian bishops.
The tradition of Saint James preaching in Hispania is itself ancient, but its historical certainty has been debated for centuries. The episode of the Virgin appearing to Saint James and Pius, and Pius subsequently creating Seville's first Marian image, should therefore be understood within the religious tradition reproduced by José María de Mena rather than as a proven historical event.
The current official situation is much clearer. Our Lady of the Kings is the Patroness of the city of Seville and of the Archdiocese of Seville. In 1946, Pope Pius XII formally proclaimed her principal Patroness of both the city and the Archdiocese.
The Virgin of the Hiniesta, meanwhile, is Patroness of the Seville City Council, a relationship connected with the Municipal Corporation's vow of thanksgiving following the end of the devastating plague of 1649.
For this reason, the claim that the Virgin of the Pillar is the "true Patroness of Seville" should be understood as the conclusion of the traditional account collected by José María de Mena, not as the present official designation of the city's patronage.
PODCAST VERSION
Prefer to listen? Discover the story in its original podcast version.
SOURCE AND ADAPTATION
Adapted for Sevilla Ciudad Mágica from the Sevillian tradition collected by José María de Mena in Tradiciones y Leyendas Sevillanas.
Seville is not only discovered through its monuments and streets.
Its legends are also part of its history and cultural memory.
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