Castle of Constantina

In 1247, Constantina was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile. In the 14th century, due to its strategic importance in the whole of the Banda Gallega, a defensive belt created to the north of the Sevillian alfoz to contain the territorial pretensions of the neighbouring kingdom of Portugal, it came under the control of the Council of Seville. The construction of the castle dates from the beginning of this century, although from this first phase only the barbican, or wall, made of rammed earth, and the lower chamber of the cistern have survived.

Most of the walls that remain standing correspond to the period between 1466 and 1474, coinciding with the war of succession in the kingdom of Castile between Isabella of Castile and Juana la Beltraneja. During this phase the castle passed into the hands of the Count of Arcos, Don Rodrigo Ponce de León, who completely remodelled it.

At the end of the 15th century, the Catholic Monarchs handed the castle over to Don Luis Portocarrero, Lord of Palma del Río, who also carried out a series of works that completed the image of the fortress, this being the moment of greatest splendour of the building. Subsequently, new alterations and constructions were carried out that modified its appearance. Of great importance were the actions carried out between 1810 and 1812 by Napoleon's troops to prepare it as an artillery fort during the War of Independence.

In recent years, several archaeological investigations and consolidation works have been carried out that make it possible to visit this unique enclave, including the reconstruction of the keep carried out in 2013.

The fortified complex of Constantina is configured as a small oval-shaped enclosure that rises on the top of the hill it crowns, dominating its surroundings. A barbican was built around it to provide it with a first line of defence, the gateway of which was located on the eastern slope, towards the town. The castle is made up of ten walls with five circular towers and two ultra-semi-circular towers flanking the entrance gate. At the end of the 15th century, a new quadrangular tower was added to the complex, built of wood, whose base was found during archaeological research.

Access to the interior was by means of a bent doorway, and to the right is the keep, which stands out from the rest of the complex at a height of 12 m. It consists of two independent, earthen chambers. It consists of two separate chambers and a roof terrace. The lower chamber was accessed from the Plaza de Armas and was covered with a barrel vault, while the upper chamber could be accessed from the walkway. The latter was divided into two rooms by a splayed arch, the first covered with a barrel vault and the second with a groin vault.

The circular towers were built slightly forward of the walls to facilitate the defence of the fortress. They also had two chambers: a lower chamber with a wooden roof and a door leading to the parade ground, and an upper chamber covered by a brick vault, which was accessed from the parapet. 

Of the wooden tower built at the end of the 15th century, the mortar platform attached to the wall on which it was built has been located. It was accessed through an open doorway in the southern wall. According to the researchers, in addition to the logical function of surveillance and defence, it was also used for recreational purposes, as a lookout point and a place to stay and rest, and they associate its construction with the festivities held on the occasion of the wedding of the Infanta Isabella, first-born daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, to King Alfonso of Portugal in 1490, as Constantina was the place chosen for the Infanta's departure to Portugal.

The interior of the castle has a large polygonal parade ground inside which there are various buildings such as dwellings, warehouses, kitchens and stables that served the inhabitants. One of the most important of these is the cistern, an underground construction that is still in very good condition. It has a rectangular floor plan with four lanterns arranged in a rectangle. The staircase leading down to the cistern is very narrow and leads to an interior divided into two naves by a line of pillars and arches covered with barrel vaults. 

Later, at the end of the 17th century - beginning of the 18th century, new constructions were built, such as the so-called ‘alcazarejo’, a defensive redoubt located in the access area to the parade ground, and the upper chamber of the cistern.

All these constructions gave Constantina Castle great complexity and monumentality, making it one of the most unique fortresses in the province of Seville.

VALOR PIECHOTTA, M. Historia y Arqueología de la Constantina medieval. Sevilla. 2011.

VILAPLANA VILLAJOS, F. Informe técnico sobre el estado de deterioro de los elementos del Castillo de Constantina en riesgo de colapso. 2023.

VVAA. Anteproyecto de los trabajos de consolidación, dinamización y mejora de la accesibilidad para uso turístico del Castillo de Constantina (Sevilla). 2023.