In the Calle de Santa Paula, a little to the E. of San Marcos, is the Convento de Santa Paula (Pl. C, 1, 2), a nunnery founded in 1476. The forecourt has a superb Gothic portal, with terracotta ornamentation by Franc. Nicoluso of Pisa and reliefs of saints by Pedro Millán (p. [63]). The rich mural azulejos (16th cent.) in the church’ are well worth seeing.
In the Ronda de Capuchinos (Pl. A, 1, 2) there are considerable remains of the ancient City Wall, with its external towers and low parapet (‘barbacana’, after Byzantine models).
c. The Western and South-Western Quarters.
Starting from the small Plaza del Pacífico (Pl. D, 4), planted with orange-trees, we follow the Calle de San Pablo to the S.W. as far as the church of Santa Magdalena (Pl. D, 4) and then turn to the right into the Calle de Bailén. From this in turn we again diverge to the right and follow the Calle de Miguel de Carvajal to the Plaza del Museo (Pl. D, 5; officially, Plaza de la Condesa de Casa Galindo), in which rises a Bronze Statue of Murillo.
The *Museo Provincial (Pl. D, 5; adm., see p. [60]), occupying an old monastery of Mercenarii (Convento de la Merced), contains the small Museo Arqueológico and the Museo de Pinturas, a famous picture-gallery. The gallery contains several valuable sculptures, but its chief treasure consists in 23 Murillos, mostly from the old Capuchin monastery (Pl. A, B, 1), depicting the legend of St. Francis of Assisi and the foundation of the Franciscan order.
A small court leads to the N. Cloisters, where the antiques (Roman, Visigothic, Moorish), along with some modern works, are exhibited. From the nearer aisle of the cloisters an azulejos-portal leads straight into the—
Great Hall of the picture-gallery, once the convent-church. The **Murillos are all hung on the walls of the nave. On the S. wall, by the entrance, note specially the Concepción, the Annunciation, SS. Leander and Bonaventura, and the ‘Virgen de la Servilleta’, said to have been painted on a table-napkin. On the N. wall we note St. Felix of Cantalicio with the Infant Jesus, the *Almsgiving of St. Thomas of Villanueva, the great Conception, the Adoration or the Shepherds, and Christ on the Cross embracing St. Francis.
On the end-wall of the church is the Martyrdom of St. Andrew by Roelas. The transept and choir are hung with numerous pictures by Zurbarán (notably the Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas, in the choir). Here, too, are several *Sculptures: Pietro Torrigiani, Virgin and Child, with the penitent St. Jerome (in terracotta); Montañés, wooden figures of the Virgin and Child, John the Baptist, and St. Dominicus.
A room on the Upper Floor contains modern pictures.
The Calle de los Reyes Católicos, in line with the Calle de San Pablo (p. [66]), ends at the Puente de Isabel Segunda (Pl. F, 6), the chief bridge crossing to the suburb of Triana.