In 1248, an image of the Virgin Mary was unearthed by workers digging for clay along the Guadalquivir River. The discovery named Virgen de la Cuevas (Virgin of the Caves) inspired a Franciscan monastery to be built on the site in 1399. The most famous resident was Christopher Columbus. He stayed at Monasterio de la Cartuja while planning his second voyage to the New World. The navigator’s body was also interred here for three decades. This historical background on the Island of the Carthusians was celebrated during the 1992 Universal Exposition. Expo ’92 marked the 500th anniversary of Colón’s initial discovery. The Monastery of the Cartuja is now the Museum of Contemporary Art of Andalusia. The smokestack is a remnant of a pottery factory. Cartuja de Sevilla produced premium ceramics and porcelain here from 1841 until the 1980s.
