The presence of the man in these earth goes back until the Neolithic one, having left later his impronta the cultures turdetana, Phoenician and Roman. In the beginnings of the imperial time, the locality receives certain importance, since their quarries provide the materials with which Itálica is constructed. The Arabs denominate Ierenna, being conquered in 1.247 by the Castilian troops. In 1.253, the Repartimiento of Seville leaves the population into the hands of the hispalense council. In century XVII the title of Count of Gerena is created, that is granted to Pedro Ursúa and Arismendi, happening after hands of other nobiliarios lineages.
The Romans construct in the hill a fortification to defend the natural route of communication with the Mountain range that is the channel of the Guadiamar. The urban enclosure, of 6,000 square meters, would have two estructurantes axes of the plot, the thistle and decumanus, that still remains in her. They are the streets Jazmín (of north to the south) and Isaac Pear tree (of this a the west). The Muslims conserve the space intrawalls and recover the walls. The nucleus continues playing the same role, like fort of high strategic value and for the defense of the surrounding farmhouses. Impronta Arab is reflected in the urban plot, with the typical flexions on the roadway and the appearance of manifold adarves.
In the middle of century XIV the Parochial Church is constructed, that locates in the suroccidental quadrant and next to the mentioned axis the north-south. With the end of Reconquista (final of century XV), the walls are losing their function and the nucleus is transformed into a civil establishment. In the middle of century XVI, the first apples form extrawalls and arises the one that today is the seat of the City council. From her it leaves the way of Seville (present street Courteous Captain), constituting the axis computer of a incipiente urban development for the east, the only possible direction if the topographic conditioners consider. In century XVII a certain stagnation of the urban growth takes place. The first symptoms of reactivation are appraised in the middle of century XVIII, when the small village begins to renew and arises a new one via from extension towards the north, on the way of the Carob tree.
But the true urban development takes place in first half of century XX. The operation of the quarries of the municipality (specially by the attention dedicated to public works during the dictatorship of General Primo of Creek) causes a demographic increase and a growth of the urban plot. The City council makes the first urbanization (the Quarries), totally disconnected of the historical helmet. On the way of the Carob tree private urbanizations arise and in 1.977 the Partial Plan is approved the Zarzalejos, in the northern limit of the urbanized area. It constitutes a ground reserve to give answer to the tourist demand of mountain range, being destined to unifamiliares houses of second residences. The more recent urban development has gone towards the north, having to draw for numerous topographic difficulties.
The present morphology of Gerena reflects all this historical process. The primitive nucleus, of small irregular apples, is located in the suroccidental end of the population. The later growth later take place in one first stage towards the east and towards the north, structured this last by a clear axis north-south. In the last years have arisen separated urbanizations physically from the nucleus, such as the Hotelitos, to the west, and the Zarzalejos, to the north. This last one has reached a greater development, having arisen between her and the main body other constructions.
Between its constructions of artistic historical interest they emphasize the Parochial Church of the Immaculate Conception (century XIV, of style to mudéjar), the church of San Benito (century XVI), the chapel of the Solitude, the City council (century XVIII) and the rest of the Roman wall.
