Another one of those gruesome legends of Seville, where love, violence, and sordidness have no borders, is that of Susona.
Susana Ben Susón, a beautiful Jewish woman who lived in Seville in the 15th century and was the daughter of Diego Susón, an eminent banker who headed a conspiracy against the Christians of the city. When the plot threatened Susona’s secret lover and his family, she betrayed her people and the conspiracy was dismantled. For her betrayal, Susona was condemned by the Jewish community and converted to Christianity.
However, her misfortune does not end there. Susona never married the Christian gentleman. She eventually entered a cloistered convent, where she lived with the Bishop Tiberiades, with whom she had two children. After, she fell into poverty and ended her days as a grocer’s lover. To self-flagellate herself even after her death, she outlined in her testament that her skull was to be displayed at the house where she lived as punishment. Today, the street in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, which has borne her name since 1835, features a tiled plaque in remembrance of Susana Ben Susón.
To learn more legends about Seville, but above all to discover what life was like in the Jewish Quarter, you can visit the Centro de Interpretación Judería de Sevilla. Here you can learn about the Sephardic population in Seville and walk the age-old streets, which are the setting for countless legends and an essential part of the city’s history.