Tranquilly amid its gardens that glow with roses and orange blossoms,
the Alcázar of Seville, palace of the old Castilian kings, stands
now as it stood in the days of the Moors. Here and there a ceiling,
a stairway, or a colonnade, damaged by fire or earthquake, has been
repaired according to architectural ideas of more modern times; but
in the main those Moorish kings who built it could sleep, if they
were there today, in their own rooms undisturbed by any feeling of
strangeness.
The site on which the Alcázar was built is probably the oldest in
Seville. The palace replaces an old Gothic castle, which had been
erected on the foundations of a Roman villa. Uncertain traditions and
the imagination of historical writers have pictured the houses of
shepherds on the same spot before history began.
There are many stories about the Alcázar, both true and fabulous.
The Court of Maidens took its name from one of these. It was said
that a tribute of a hundred maidens paid to the Mohammedan ruler had
been lodged in that part of the Alcázar. History does not show that
the calif ever asked for such a tribute, and it is probable that the
Court of Maidens had not been built at the time when this incident is
supposed to have taken place. Nevertheless, such a story has grown up,
and has given the court a name that it will doubtless bear for all time.
After Castile had thrown off Moorish rule Seville was made the capital
of Spain. For several centuries Christian kings lived in the Alcázar,
adding somewhat to the original structure as the Moors had left it. The
name of Pedro is more closely connected than any other Spanish ruler
with the history and fiction of the building. He was called Pedro the
Cruel. A grim sense of humor and a habit of going through the streets
of Seville in disguise have made him the subject of many odd tales and
rumors. Some of these stories are merely whimsical. He is said to have
met four candidates for a judge’s position beside a pool in the gardens
where they had gone to find him. Pedro, turning to the first, asked him
what was floating in the pool.
“An orange,” replied the candidate without hesitation.
The second and third gave him the same answer.
The fourth fished out the piece of fruit with his staff, examined it,
and replied more accurately, “Half an orange.”
Pedro immediately gave him the appointment.
PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 31
COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.
[Illustration: CATHEDRAL OF SEVILLE, SPAIN]
_SPAIN AND GIBRALTAR_
_Cathedral of Seville_