Village
Called 'the Frying Pan of Andalusia' for its extreme summers and 'the City of Towers' for its Baroque bell towers, Écija is the head town of its district and the largest municipality by area in the province of Seville (978.47 km²). Its historic center was declared a Conjunto Histórico-Artístico in 1966.
Historical milestone
Beneath the current town lies the Roman colony of Augusta Firma Astigi, founded around 14 BC under Augustus over a pre-Roman settlement. In 1402 Henry III granted Écija the title of city. In 2002, construction work uncovered the sculpture of the 'Wounded Amazon,' dated to the 2nd century AD and now displayed at the Museo Histórico Municipal.
Monument
Urban palace built between 1700 and 1775 for the marquises of Peñaflor, famous for its long continuous balcony that follows the curve of the street, decorated with mural paintings of landscapes and false architecture (trompe l'oeil) attributed to Antonio Fernández. It was declared a Monumento Histórico-Artístico (the heritage protection category used between 1931 and 1985) in 1962, a status now protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural.
Curiosity
Écija's skyline is marked by eleven Baroque brick towers with tile inlays, mostly built in the 18th century (some begun in the 17th), among them those of San Juan (1745), Santa María (1725), and Santiago (1757-1766). This is the basis of the city's nickname 'the City of Towers.'
Curiosity
Écija is popularly known as the 'Frying Pan of Andalusia' for the extremely high temperatures it reaches in summer, frequently topping 40 degrees, among the highest regularly recorded on the Iberian Peninsula.
Monument
Route that takes in the Baroque towers of Écija's churches, among them Santa María, with its Rococo chapel; Santiago, in Gothic-Mudéjar style; Santa Cruz, with its unfinished tower; San Juan Bautista; Santa Ana, built directly on the city's wall; San Gil; the Padres Descalzos church, and the twin towers of the former convent of la Concepción.
Monument
Baroque palace declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, Spain's highest level of heritage protection, which today houses the Écija Municipal History Museum.
Monument
Built in the 18th century on a church documented since the 16th century, it is considered the most beautiful of Écija's eleven towers: a Baroque brick shaft topped with a bell chamber covered in blue and white tiles. It can be visited and its viewpoint climbed.
Monument
Bridge over the Genil river, at the eastern exit of the city on the road to Palma del Río, built in the 1st century AD as part of Astigi's road infrastructure. It preserves a series of semicircular arches on ashlar piers, more than 200 meters long.
Monument
Housed in the Palacio de Benamejí, it preserves the Amazona herida (Wounded Amazon), an early 2nd-century AD Roman copy of a classical 5th-century BC Greek original. It is one of the best-preserved sculptures of this type in the world, the only one found outside Rome and the only one retaining traces of polychromy. The museum's mosaic room also holds six large Roman mosaics found in urban excavations, including the Mosaic of the Seasons and that of the Bacchic Triumph.
Historical milestone
Bronze Age and Tartessian settlement, with occupation documented from around the 9th century BC, located in Écija's urban center. It attests to human presence at the site of the future Astigi centuries before the Roman founding.
Historical milestone
In 14 AD, under Augustus, Astigi received the title of colonia under the name Colonia Augusta Firma Astigi, becoming one of the legal conventus capitals of Roman Baetica.
Historical milestone
The city was taken in the year 711 during the Muslim conquest of the peninsula, after a nearby battle. In 1240 it was reconquered by Ferdinand III, and in 1402 Henry III granted it the title of city.
Historical milestone
The great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 caused damage to churches and towers in Écija, including damage that required later reconstruction in several of its churches, contributing to the present-day Baroque appearance of many of its towers.
Historical milestone
The railway line between Marchena and Écija was inaugurated on 31 August 1879, connecting the city to the rail network and easing the export of its agricultural produce.
Curiosity
Écija holds historic extreme temperature records in Spain: 48°C in July 1966, with unofficial reports of up to 49°C in July 1959, while in January 2005 a low of -9.1°C was recorded. It is the largest municipality by area in the province of Seville, at 978.47 km².
Activity
The feast of Écija's patroness, the Virgen del Valle, is celebrated on 8 September, and a week later, toward the end of the month, the Feria de Septiembre takes place.
Food and drink
The mollete ecijano, a soft, spongy bread, together with manteca colorá (lard seasoned with paprika), make up Écija's traditional breakfast. The local pastry-making also includes tortas de manteca, tortas de aceite and the yemas del Ecijano.