The Barrio Santa Cruz (or Santa Cruz neighborhood) is the most antiquated and picturesque neighborhood in Sevilla. The former Jewish Quarter is bordered by the Jardines Murillo and the Alcázar, and can be entered via the Patio de Banderas. The covered passageway leading off of this entrance is called La Judería, meaning Jewish Quarter.http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/barriosantacruz.htmThe Barrio is a labyrinth of long alleways and tiny plazas. The whitewashed walls accented by shades of deep golden yellow and desert rose create a romantic ambiance of idyllic Europe and deep Andalusia.http://fotografias-sevilla.com/barrio-santa-cruz.php

Once the center of the Jewish community in Sevilla, many of the churches in the neighborhood were once synagogues.http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/barriosantacruz.htmThe Barrio takes its name from a church built on the site of one such synagogue, which had been in ruins until the 18th century. It was re-built in the 19th century and its current appearance is from that time.http://spainforvisitors.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-6-pid-15-meid-3565.htm

Amongst the maze of small streets are many delighful plazas. One of the most lovely is Plaza Doña Elvira. Orange trees line the plaza and shade the tiled benches where visitors can sit and relax, shielded from the mid-day sun. In Plaza de la Cruz an old iron cross marks where a Mudéjar Church once stood.http://spainforvisitors.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-6-pid-15-meid-3565.htm Off of Plaza Alfaro is Callejon del Agua, a narrow lane running along one of the garden walls of the Alcázar. The street is named for the watercourse that once flowed along the top of the wall.http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/barriosantacruz.htm Follow it to the end and you´ll come to the corner of Agua y Vida, or Water and Life.http://maps.google.es/maps/place?hl=es&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=agua+y+vida+sevilla&fb=1&gl=es&hq=agua+y+vida&hnear=sevilla&cid=16503936432486690496

The Barrio is the fictional birth place of Don Juan Tenorio, one of Sevilla´s most famous literary characters, and the object of his desire, Doña Inés. A statue of the famous lover resides in Plaza de los Refinadores.http://spainforvisitors.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-6-pid-15-meid-3565.htmThe Sevillian painter Murillo was also born here and a small museum in his house can be found on Calle Santa Teresa.http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/barriosantacruz.htm

Much of the Barrio was almost destroyed by plans to create a wide avenue between Plaza de los Reyes and the Jardines Murillo in preperation for the 1929 Fair of the Americas. Thanks to the intervention of various royal figures including King Alfonso XIII the Barrio was saved.http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/barriosantacruz.htm

To find the entrance the Barrio Santa Cruz, simply go to the Cathedral of Sevilla and the Alcázar, located at the heart of the old city. If you stand between the two with the Cathedral on your left and the Alcázar on your right, you will be looking right at the entrance of the old quarter.http://spainforvisitors.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-5-pid-19-meid-3566.htm

Many tourist stores in the Barrio can be found selling kitsch souveneirs, but look hard and you´ll find the more individual artisan shops.http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/barriosantacruz.htm

Go to the Barrio during the day to enjoy the greenery of the plazas and eat al fresco at sidewalk café. At night come back to enjoy a little tapas bar but don´t get lost in the winding streets! If you do come here to eat be aware that lunch happens between about 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon and dinner (or tapas) won´t start until 8:00 or 9:00 at the earliest. If you come in at 5:00 for anything other than coffee or a drink you might get a quizzical look.