The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, on the attractive Plaza de los Mártires, is an intriguing architectural mishmash of styles. Building began in the 14th century, but it remains unfinished today. Its best features are the Mudéjar tower and fine Renaissance interior with a 16th-century altarpiece and 16th-century paintings by the Sevillan architect and sculptor Juan de Oviedo who designed Seville's Convento de la Merced, which now houses the city's fine arts museum.
Next to the church are 13th-century defensive walls built by the Almohads. On the same square is the former ayuntamiento (town hall), with an ornate Baroque façade and a Mudéjar-style house.
Other noteworthy buildings in the town centre include the Iglesia de San Benito. Also worth a look are the Baroque former convents of San Agustín (home to the town hall) and San Francisco (now a warehouse belonging to the anisette producer, Miura).
Archaeolgical finds from the Cuevas de Santiago show that Cazalla was the site of human settlement since Neolithic times. Under the Romans, Cazalla was called Callentum and became renowned for its vineyards and wines. Known as Kazala (fortified town in Arabic) when the Moors occupied it, their architectural legacy can be seen in the castle, the Azahín part of town and remains of the defensive walls.
It was also an important defensive centre for the Castilians fighting the Portuguese. It underwent a boom period in the 16th and 17th centuries due to its status as the chief exporter of wines to the New World, as well as its sales of aniseed liquors.
Felipe V and his court gave Cazalla the royal seal of approval when they spent summer here in 1730. Today, Cazalla still bears the imprint of this wealthy heyday in its well-preserved mansions dating from the 16th and 18th centuries.
Cazalla is famous for its aniseed-based liqueur (anís) and its rich-tasting cherry brandy (guinda). Try it at any of the local bars, accompanied by one of the area's specialities, spicy or cured sausages (chorizo or salchichón). |
