Patio de las Doncellas Sunken Gardens The legend is that when Seville was under the rule of the Moors they demanded one hundred maidens or virgins, from the Christian kingdoms around them, as a form of annual tribute! It turns out that the whole courtyard was paved with marble and there was a fountain right in the middle of it. However archaeological excavations, undertaken between 2002-2004, brought to light a garden and a pool which were buried about a metre below the paved area.