Santiponce

A town which belongs to the Aljarafe region and is situated 7 km from Seville. The current settlement dates from 1595, the year when the previous site, next to the river, was abandoned because of frequent flooding.

In the district are the archaelogical remains of the Roman town of Itálica, founded by the general Escipión in the 3rd century BC. It was one of the most important cities of the age and gave Rome two emperors: Hadrian and Trajan. The town is divided into two areas: the Vetus Urbs (old city), which lies under the centre of Santiponce, and the Nova Urbs (new city), created by Hadrian as an extension of the existing town. The area open to the public includes part of the neighbourhood built by Hadrian, a theatre situated in the old city and a modern park built around the amphitheatre, one of the largest in the Roman Empire, with a capacity to hold 25,000 spectators. Santiponce also has another area of great interest, the Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, declared to be a National Monument in 1872. Built in the Gothic style, it was founded by Alonso Pérez de Guzmán in the 14th century for Cistercian monks. It is made up of two Gothic churches and two cloisters in the Mudejar style.