Por Redaccion 
The Department of Culture and Sports has tendered the conservation works of the Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, located in the town of Santiponce (Seville), for over 3.1 million euros co-financed with FEDER Funds within the 2021-2027 Operational Program. This is the first phase of the rehabilitation of the monument, which includes the old oil mill, the granary, and the monastery’s warehouse, with an expected duration of 12 months from the start of the works.
The intervention includes work on the old oil mill, located in the northern area of the complex. It consists of a brick factory nave, divided into two bays by a series of half-point arches on pilasters, with gable roofs. The ceramic tile flooring features large semi-buried jars. These two bays housed mill beams, with their counterweights at the western end.
There will also be intervention in the granary, located in the central area and sharing the northern face with the oil mill. It is a two-story building, made of brick, with three aisles separated by load-bearing walls. The ground floor is covered with barrel and ribbed vaults, while the upper floor has a wooden structure. The warehouse, on the other hand, is an auxiliary building located in former open courtyards to the east, now enclosed by brick perimeter walls.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, highlighted «the firm commitment of the Andalusian Government to the recovery of the monumental site of San Isidoro del Campo, a space of great historical, artistic, and architectural value that deserves to be enhanced for the enjoyment of citizens.» «We work to consolidate and preserve those areas of the monument that were not rehabilitated at the end of the 20th century», she stated.
The Minister of Culture, Patricia del Pozo, at a press conference (Archive).
In addition to the works now tendered in the old oil mill, the granary, and the warehouse, the Department of Culture and Sports is progressing in the upcoming rehabilitation of the Southern and Eastern aisles of the Jerónimos cloister and the tower, a square-shaped structure with brick walls topped by a wooden spire. This intervention has a budget exceeding three million euros, also through FEDER Funds.
Simultaneously, repairs have been made to the fence along the eastern boundary of the monastic complex, with an investment of over 600,000 euros (between February and October 2021), and maintenance work on the church’s roofs (almost 30,000 euros in 2023). Similarly, the canvas of the Virgin of the Ancient (17th century), located in the old sacristy, is currently housed at the IAPH for study.
Historical Data
The Jerónimo monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, located in the Sevillian municipality of Santiponce, was declared a National Artistic Monument in 1872 and, therefore, enjoys the highest heritage protection as a Cultural Property of Interest (BIC). Likewise, this property is listed in the General Catalog of Andalusian Historical Heritage, forming part of the Network of Cultural Spaces of Andalusia.
This site has its origins in a privilege granted by King Ferdinand IV of Castile to Don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, Guzmán el Bueno, in 1289, allowing him jurisdiction over Santiponce and the foundation of a monastery with a funerary chapel for him and his wife. In the chosen location for the new monastery, there was previously a hermitage, where, according to tradition, the body of San Isidoro was found.
Additionally, it has been a burial place for illustrious figures, including the tombs of Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, the hero of Tarifa, and his descendants. It was also the first place to bury Hernán Cortés in 1547 before he was transferred to Mexico. Architecturally, the fortified churches in Gothic-Mudéjar style stand out, housing interesting mural paintings and canvases from the 15th and 17th centuries in their cloisters and dependencies.
The monastery was dispossessed in 1835, initiating a long period of neglect and destruction. Some of its premises were used for industrial purposes, such as tobacco and beer manufacturing, and it also served as a women’s prison. These tribulations were compounded by the damage inflicted during the Glorious Revolution of 1868, while in 1936, it was on the brink of being demolished.
Subsequently, the monastery was inhabited by a small Jerónimo community between 1956 and 1978. In the 90s, the monastery underwent a rehabilitation focused on various areas of the site.