The dream of San Fernando

Shortly before conquering Seville, the king Ferdinand III the Saint He was praying in the Tablada camp, he fell asleep and had a vision of the Virgin with the Child in her arms who told him: "I promise you that you will conquer Seville.".

Equestrian sculpture of Saint Ferdinand, Plaza Nueva.

Upon waking, he recounted the vision to his chaplain, the Bishop Don Remondo. Soon the Virgin's promise was fulfilled, and the king, in his constant prayers, remembered the image he had seen while sleeping. So as not to forget it, he asked sculptors to carve it, but none could reproduce it exactly.

There was a day that three young men dressed as pilgrims They arrived at the Alcázar from Germany. They were sculptors on their path to perfecting their craft, and after traveling through Germany and France, they came to these lands to showcase their art and learn from the works being created here.

Image of Saint Ferdinand.

The statue of the Virgin

King Ferdinand offered them anything they wanted, and they replied that they simply wished to give him a gift in gratitude for his warm welcome. They wanted to give him a carved figure. Virgin for one of his chapels. The king agreed and offered them all the materials they needed. However, they said they needed nothing, only a room where they could work unseen and undisturbed.

While the three young men were at their work, a maidservant peeked in to see how they were working. She was astonished to see that none of them were carving, but rather they were singing prayers amidst a great radiance. She ran to tell the King.

Saint Ferdinand went to check for himself, but when he approached he saw on the table that had been lent to them to work on, the statue of the Virgin which he had seen in a dream the day before. The young sculptors had vanished; they weren't there, and there was no other door through which they could have escaped. The King realized then that those three boys were angels and that they had left the Virgin there as a divine gift. The sentries confirmed that no one had left the Alcázar, and the Sevillian sculptors certified that it was impossible to have carved that image in such a short time.

Blessed

Bishop Don Remondo also declared this and, considering it a miracle, ordered that the image be placed in the Chapel of the Alcázar with the name of Our Lady of the Kings. As time passed, after Saint Ferdinand's death, he stipulated in his will that he wished to be buried at the feet of the Virgin of the Kings. Thus, the Virgin's image was moved to the cathedral and placed on the altar of the Royal Chapel, where Saint Ferdinand's tomb is located.

Virgin of the Kings.

To learn more…

To learn more about the Holy King, the Virgin of the Kings, we invite you to book your guided tour of the Seville Cathedral. Discover all the stories, anecdotes, and legends with official tour guides. Don't miss it!