Costurero de la Reina, Seville

Costurero de la Reina is a small castle-like pavilion, with a hexagonal plan and a turret at each corner. Built in 1893, it was designed by Juan Talavera y de la Vega as a guard post or garden retreat. Its neomudéjar character makes it Seville’s oldest building in that style, while the large windows bring an Arabic influence into the design.

The familiar name comes from a local legend: Mercedes of Orléans supposedly withdrew here to sew. The story cannot describe the building’s real history, because Mercedes died in 1878 and the pavilion was built in 1893. Today, the ground floor serves as Seville’s municipal tourist information office.

A restoration in 2007 repaired the structure and adapted the interior for practical use. The pavilion’s compact castle form remains its most distinctive feature.