Monuments of Seville (capital)

Hospital of Santa Caridad

The Brotherhood of Santa Caridad who exists in Seville from mid the century XVI, already had its cults in 1.588 in the place that today occupies the Church of San Jorge, nailed in the Atarazanas Real. It had between his missions to bury to the executed ones, and the drowned ones in the river or leaving whose body nobody protested.

From 1,644, by ruin of the old chapel, the construction of a new Church is decided according to planes of Pedro Sanchez Falconete. By lack of means, the works were made very slowly.

The election of Miguel Mañara as Older Brother served not only to make agile works of the temple, but for the life of the Brotherhood, that extends its works of charity. On this date one is based hospedería of poor passers-by and infirmaries for which they were not admitted in the other hospitals of the City, that still today is in use as it calls to account of old destitutes.

The planes of the Church were reformed by initiative of Mañara and the facade was finished off by Leonardo de Figueroa, the inner decoration of the Church was made by as prestigious artists as Bernardo Simón Pineda, Pedro Roldán, Valdés Leal and Murillo, whom they shaped in his paintings, sculptures and altarpieces the inspiration of Miguel Mañara.

The facade of the Church is decorated with tiles that represent San Jorge, Santiago, the Faith, the Hope and the Charity.

The Church is of a single ship covered with vault of tube and small cupola in the space previous to presbiterio.

Between numerous works of Valdés Leal they emphasize its two masterpieces, that contain a deep meditation on the spiritual Death and events that happen it: Judgment, Infierno and Gloria. These works gave to passage to a set of four paintings of Murillo containing allegories on the mercy works, that were robbed by Marshal Soult in 1.810, being at the present time in diverse foreign museums.

The cycle of works of mercy of Murillo is continued with the two paintings located at the top of the wall of antepresbiterio, that represent Moisés doing to bring forth water of the Rock and the Multiplication of breads and the fish. The last work of mercy: To bury to deads, appears shaped in the greater altarpiece, whose architecture must Bernardo Simón de Pineda and the sculpture is work of Pedro Roldán. The Christ of the Charity and the sculpture that the púlpito of iron finishes off, remarkable also belong to this same escultor by their beautiful design.

Other works of Murillo in the Church are: San Juan de God transporting a patient, the Announcement, Santa Isabel of Hungary, the Boy Jesus and San Juan Young Baptist.

A special mention deserves the patios decorated with tile panels of century XVII, that represent scenes of the Old and New Testament.