El Madrono is a peaceful spot surrounded by parkland and the nearby rivera del Jarrama.
This small, relatively new town in the north-west Seville province, was founded in 1921 to bring together five fruit-picking villages in the area: the main part is La Villa de El Madroño, then there are El Alamo, Juan Anton, Juan Gallego and Villagordo. It enjoys an idyllic situation on the Ruta de la Plata, in a peaceful spot surrounded by parkland and trees.
Calle Andalucia, lovingly tended by its residents, with many flowers and lemon trees.
The most important building is the church of San Blas, on Plaza de la Constitucion, which dates from the 16th century. Its architect was Hernan Ruiz, who also designed the more recent (Christian) part of the Giralda, Seville´s most famous landmark. The church houses some 17th-century paintings. This, along with the other place of worship, the Capilla de las Cruces de Arriba y Abajo, remains in excellent condition thanks to careful maintenance.
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| The Church of San Blas, on Plaza de la Constitucion, which dates from the 16th century. |
Local lore celebrates the miracle of San Blas, the patron saint of the town. A boy was eating some fish and choked on a bone. As he was dying, is mother cried ´´Blessed San Blas, save my son!`` the Armenian saint made the sign of the cross on the boy´s throat - and he was saved. San Blas is also the patron saint of throat illnesses.
The town´s name comes from the large amount of madroños (strawberry trees, arbutus unedo) in the area. It has a pretty main street, Calle Andalucia, lovingly tended by its residents, with many flowers and lemon trees. Some of the houses, especially in Villagordo, are very picturesque, built of stone, with brick doorways. In 2004 the town suffered a major fire, and the entire population was evacuated.
Nearby, 1.5km from the town, visitors will find El Cerro de El Riscal, a rocky hill decorated with Bronze Age carvings discovered in 1991. It is known locally as ´´la cama de los novios´´, as it was a used for wedding celebrations for those newlyweds who couldn´t afford a reception. Other evidence of El Madroño´s prehistoric past can be seen in the two dolmens situated in the southern part of the town.
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| The crest of El Madroño. |
In El Alamo, you can see la Encina de los Perros, and enormous oak tree, with a canopy diameter measuring a 32m, offering a vast amount of shade for a hot summer´s day, a trunk of 1.5m (8 metres at its base) and over 15m tall. It has been declared a protected natural monument.
The main festival is San Blas, held on 3 February, with traditional games, competitions, exhibitions, clown shows and dancing. The day of the town is the 27 May. There is also a live nativity scene in December, with all the town´s children taking part, to celebrate the start of the town´s Christmas festivities.
Gastronomy includes the traditional, ubiquitous country food of migas (breadcrumbs); sopeao, a dish made from classic Andalucian ingredients - garlic, onion, pepper, tomato, bread and oil; pork and goat stew, and aniseed roscos made in honour of San Blas. Local handicrafts include water containers made of cork.
El Madroño is situated 77km north-west of Seville. To get to El Madroño, you take the A66, leaving at exit 795 towards Gerena. Take the A477, then at Aznalcollar, take the SE537, then the SE538 to El Alamo.
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