Osuna

Osuna lies in the agricultural countryside east of Seville, where cultivated plains and low hills support grain, olives and livestock. Roads connect the town with wider Andalusian markets, while noble estates and rural households supply its urban economy. Churches, civic buildings and a prominent elevated setting give the settlement functions beyond ordinary agriculture. The relationship between town and countryside underlies the wealth invested in its architecture and institutions.

The Order of Calatrava received Osuna in the thirteenth century; in the fifteenth it passed to Pedro Téllez-Girón's family. Juan Téllez-Girón, fourth count of Ureña, sponsored major sixteenth-century buildings including the collegiate church and university. The college-university, built in 1548, offered teaching and supported students with scholarships. Its patronage reflected the ambitions and resources of the town's noble house.