Every Sevillan knows this small fairy-tale pavilion as the ‘Costurero de la Reina’ or the Queen’s Seamstress for the legend behind it.

We have to go back to the 19^th century. Maria de las Mercedes, or Merceditas (little Mercedes) as they knew her, was the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Montpensier, who lived in the San Telmo palace. Her mother was Maria Luisa Fernanda de Borbon, and her father Antonio de Orlean. Both had parents who were kings, although second in line to the throne. 

Maria de las Mercedes spent her infancy in Seville, a city for which she felt great affection and its citizens, in turn, held her in their esteem, most of all for being a sweet girl of weak health. However, with the outbreak of the 1868 Revolution she and her family have to leave in exile, returning 6 years later when the monarchy was reinstated.

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Nonetheless, years before she had started a romance with her cousin Alfonso, despite only being 12 and 15 years old. The history becomes romantic when her cousin at 16 was elected to be the future king of Spain, Alfonso XII, whose family was opposed to proposal to marriage with Maria de las Mercedes. This was because her father, the Duke of Montpensier had conspired to take the Spanish throne.

The legend goes that she spent the hours sewing in this unique building surrounded by her ladies in waiting and taking in the Sevillian sun which was good for her health. The hours spent sewing were worth it as really she was waiting every day for her Alfonso XII, who, now king, met her in secret riding from the Alcazar to find her.

Finally, nothing could stop them from celebrating their wedding, and Maria de Mercedes became the Queen Consort of Spain. However, their happiness didn’t last long, as only 5 months later she died of typhus.

The social impact of her premature death and the despair of the King remained in collective memory and created many popular songs, films and legends like this one. Actually, the queen never sewed, nor did she wait for Alfonso there, for the pavilion was constructed some years after her death.

A seamstress that never sewed

The Duke and Duchess de Montpensier transformed the grounds of the San Telmo Palace and when the duke died in 1890, Maria Luisa, his wife and mother to Mercedes, donated part of them to the city of Seville, which changed them into the park that bears her name.  This little building was constructed as a little fort to guard the gardens.  The work was commissioned from Juan Talavera y de la Vega, and has the honour of being the first neo-mudejar building of Seville. Nowadays it’s one of the most loved places for Sevillians and is now a tourist office.

Images source: 20 – 23 (section 4)