History

Don Remondo, the first bishop of Seville after its reconquest by Fernando III, outlined the parish division of the city into twenty-four "collaciones" (ecclesiastical districts). The intention in the city's parishes was to represent a comprehensive view of the Church. Thus, churches were dedicated to the Savior and His Mother - the titular figure of the cathedral; the archangel Saint Michael; Saint John the Baptist; the Holy Apostles; virgins and saints, including Saint Mary Magdalene.

The Magdalena "collación," where the Almohad wall runs along Gravina Street, was one of those adjacent to the river with orchards and semi-empty spaces where convent foundations were established, such as the convent of San Pablo el Real of the Dominican friars. It had a smaller population than those located in the center of the Muslim city. This parish's outskirts persisted until the 19th century with lands occupied by warehouses, orchards, and areas adjacent to the river.

According to Ortiz de Zuñiga, there is evidence from May 3, 1255, of a lead-sealed letter in which Alfonso X the Wise confirms the donation made by his father, King San Fernando, of some lands to the Order of Preachers to establish the monastery of San Pablo. According to this account, its first prior was Friar Pedro González Telmo (Annals, 1893).