Church of San Salvador

Church of San Salvador tickets: which one to buy

The Church of the Saviour stands on a lively square in the centre of Seville, a ten-minute walk north of the cathedral, and it is ticketed; the ticket is combined with the cathedral and the Giralda, so buying it here, where the queue is usually short, lets you skip the long line at the cathedral itself. That is one of the most useful practical tips in Seville. An audio guide is available.

Walking tours of the city centre pass the church and its square, which is surrounded by bars and is one of the best places in the city for an evening drink. Holy Week tours explain the importance of the church's brotherhoods and their images. The church is the second largest in Seville after the cathedral. Visiting in the morning and then walking to the cathedral with the combined ticket makes an efficient plan for a day in the centre. The combined ticket covers the cathedral on the same day or a later one, so keep it safe.

Visiting Church of San Salvador: what to see

The church stands on the site of the main mosque of Muslim Seville, and part of the mosque's courtyard and the base of its minaret survive in the patio beside the church, with horseshoe arches and columns reused from Roman buildings. The old mosque was used as a church for centuries until it was declared unsafe and demolished, and the present church was built between 1674 and 1712, largely to designs by Leonardo de Figueroa.

It is one of the great baroque interiors of Spain: a huge space under a dome, filled with gilded altarpieces of carved wood that cover entire walls. The high altar, by Cayetano de Acosta, is an explosion of gold and carved figures. Chapels hold important processional images, including the Christ of Love, carved by Juan de Mesa in the seventeenth century. A restoration completed in 2008 revealed the remains of earlier buildings under the floor. Look up at the dome, where painted and gilded decoration surrounds the lantern with angels and saints.

Church of San Salvador opening hours and the best time to go

The church opens daily, with shorter hours on Sundays because of services. Mornings are the quietest time and the best to buy the combined ticket before heading to the cathedral. Seville is extremely hot in July and August, and the cool interior is welcome; spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons. Holy Week is spectacular here, as the brotherhood of the Christ of Love processes from the church on Palm Sunday, and the square fills with crowds.

The April fair follows soon after. The square outside is a traditional meeting place for Sevillians, especially in the early evening. Allow about forty-five minutes for the church and the patio, and look at the old mosque columns before you leave. The bars on the square serve tapas outside from midday, and locals gather there after work.