Address:
Calle Cervantes, 11
Description:
Chronology: 20th century. Author: Jesús Gavira Alba.
Inaugurated in 1961, this is the work of the local sculptor Jesús Gavira, who, along with his brother Antonio, created many of the sculptures you can admire during your walk through Mairena del Alcor. In this case, he recreated the bust of Cervantes, presumably inspired by the supposed portrait of the writer done by Juan de Jáuregui in 1600. At the beginning of the 20th century, this image became very popular in Seville thanks to a copy of the painting made by Joaquín Sorolla at the request of the organizing committee for the III Centenary of Cervantes’s death in the capital.
The monument is completed with three tiles that recreate the famous passage where Berganza mentions Mairena as the first reference town after his escape from Seville in the “Colloquy of the Dogs”: “And before dawn, I arrived in Mairena, which is a place that is four leagues from Seville.” Given its literary importance, its location was recently included in the World Literary Atlas portal. On the occasion of the celebration of the fourth centenary of Cervantes’s death, the City Council renovated the monument following the instructions of its own author.
Type of monument:
Civil monument.
