The serene face of Mother Mary looks down from her central altar above the entrance, held up by decorative pillars heavily embellished with engravings. Under her watchful gaze stand protected the Virgen de la Servilleta born from the brushstrokes of Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Beneath a pool of spotlight, St. Ildefonso receives the Chasuble from the Virgin, knees bent to the ground in reverence.

Seville’s Museum of Fine arts in this way retells history from within these frames capturing moments on oil and canvas or glazed clay. The collection follows the growth of Spanish visual art from the medieval period to the early 20th Century, beginning with just paintings to later include the traditional Andalusian craft of ceramics and contemporary mediums. Its prized possessions are those done by the hand of the 17th Century Maestros such as Murillo and Velazquez who were part of the Golden Age of Sevillian painting. Put together, they give backing to the museum’s ranking one of the best museums for Spanish paintings, second only to the one in Madrid. Housed within three main courtyards surrounding a central porch, the building featuring wide arches and garden spaces typical of Mannerist architecture on the cusp of the Baroque. The delicate beauty of the building itself accentuates the detail and wonder that the paintings bring about, transporting you to a Spain of a different time and place.