Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas

Legend holds that the area, in Moorish times, was honeycombed with caves made by potters for ovens and to obtain clay, and that after the capture of the city by Christians in the thirteenth century, an image of the virgin was revealed inside one of the caves, where supposedly it had been hidden. It prompted the construction of a chapel of Santa María de las Cuevas to house the venerated icon. In the 15th century, the archbishop of Seville, aided by the noble family of Medina, helped found a Franciscan monastery at the site. Later constructions were patronized by don Perafán de Ribera (who built the Casa de Pilatos). In the 15th century, monks of the cloistered order of Saint Bruno were housed in the monastery.

Christopher Columbus' remains were first interred at Valladolid, then at the Monastery of the Cartuja by the will of his son Diego. In 1542 the remains were transferred to Colonial Santo Domingo.

During the Napoleonic invasion, the monastery was sacked and used as barracks. After returning in 1812, the monastery was finally vacated with the general closure of monasteries in 1835–36 (Desamortización de Mendizábal).

Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas The chimney and bottle shaped kilns are the remnants of the ceramics factory

Following the confiscation of church property decreed by Juan Alvarez Mendizabal, Englishman Charles Pickman (1808–1883), acquired the Carthusian Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas in 1839. Commencing production in 1841, Pickman established innovative manufacturing methods such as importing raw materials, the use of molds, using specialised machinery, mechanical arms and presses, utilising British ceramist experience while employing pottery workers from nearby Triana. The initial success of the factory led to La Cartuja de Sevilla becoming one of the most popular brands in Europe and in Latin American countries.[1]

La Cartuja de Sevilla received numerous awards in international exhibitions: Paris (1856, 1867 and 1878), London (1862), Porto (1865), Vienna (1872), Seville (1858, 1929 and 1949), Barcelona (1888), Bayonne (1864), Philadelphia (1876), and in 1871 was named Provider of the Royal House of Spain by Amadeo I of Savoy who later granted the title of Marquis of Pickman founder of La Cartuja de Sevilla. Charles Pickman is also distinguished by his admission to the Most Noble Order of the British Garter, which is used as a trademark in some models from the factory.[2][3]

Production continued until 1984. The bottle shaped kilns and tall chimney are the legacy of the ceramics factory.

Inside the entrance gateway

In 1964, the monastery was declared a national monument, and now is owned by the government of Andalusia, which created a new institution called "Monumental Ensemble of the Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas". Restorations were made for the Seville Expo '92, directed by Bartolomé Ruiz González, the first and only one director of the Monumental Ensemble from 1989 to 1994. In 1997, the older part of the monastery became the site of a museum of contemporary art, the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC).[4]