In churches, it’s the architecture that captivates me far more than the emotion or solemnity of the place

The Church of Santa Marina is one of Seville’s oldest and most architecturally significant churches, located on Calle San Luis-a historic thoroughfare since Moorish times. Its origins date to the second half of the 13th century, and it became a prototype for parish churches in the city during the Middle Ages, notable for its austerity, translucence, and harmonious blend of Gothic and Mudéjar styles. The church’s brick tower, with its square plan and Almohad-inspired decorative battlements, is often mistaken for a minaret, reflecting the influence of Moorish craftsmen who worked under Christian rule.

Inside, the church features a rectangular floor plan with three naves separated by pointed brick arches, supported by eight cruciform pillars. The central nave is both wider and higher, ending in a polygonal apse, while lateral chapels open from the side walls. The church’s roof combines a modern coffered ceiling in the central nave with canopies and vaulted chapels, some adorned with intricate brick and plasterwork.


The gate as resembling a "vagina dentata" invokes a powerful and ancient motif: the "toothed vagina," a symbol found in myth, art, and literature across cultures...