INVITATIONactivity: A Route around Squares in Cordoba

DAY: Saturday, 7th May 2014

TIME: From 10:30 to 12:00

PLACE TO START: Colon Square

Place to finish: Conde de Priego Square

by: Children involved in “Profundiza Programme”

Colon or Columbus Square is one of the most popular places of Cordoba. Located in the downtown area of the city, in the centre of the square there are gardens with a large variety of trees. Its name comes from the Convent of Merced, situated in front of the square, where Christopher Columbus was stayed waiting for the end of Granada conquers by the Catholic Monarchs. This was the condition that they put him to support its mission to India. The gardens have got a beautiful fountain at its center, carried out in Modernist style for the late nineteenth century.

“COLON SQUARE”

“CAPUCHINOS SQUARE”

Capuchinos Square, also known as Christ of Lanterns Square, is a cobbled square and we can access to it from Conde Torres Cabrera Street or Bailío Slope. Capuchinos Square opened in the seventeenth century on some houses of the Marquis of Almunia. Its conformation occurs by the construction of the Capuchinos Convent in 1633 and the Church of Dolores, which is finished in 1728. In 1794, the monument to Christ of the Lanterns was built, which stands at its center with the protection of a small iron gate around it. The stone sculpture of Christ was made by Juan Navarro León. Originally, it was called Christ of Mercy and Grievance. Popularly it is called the Christ of Lanterns, because of the lanterns that light it up at night.

“Cuesta del Bailío” was historically one of the communication between the upper and lower city crossing the Roman Wall. Until 1711 there was an arch which gave name to this area (Portillo or Arco Corbacho). The Bailío Slope begins in Carbonell and Morand Street to Alfaros Street. 31 of its steps are paved with decorative designs, with a nice fountain on the top. These steps were built in the year 1943.At the end, we can see the House of Bailío, with beautiful Renaissance facade. The palatial house on the top of Fernandez de Cordoba family and a dignity of this family (Bailiff) gave the final name to this place. This house by Hernán Ruiz II is a good example of the Cordoba Architecture from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century.

“BAILÍO SLOPE”

The white marble fountain located in the middle of las Dueñas or Cardenal Toledo Square, gives it a lordly court appearance. Neat and tidy, it is a beautiful Cordovan corner. This square was built after the confiscation of the Convent of Santa María de las Dueñas in 1868, but the original target was to build a garden. However, due to the poor conditions of this building, it was decided in 1869 its transformation into a square. In 1945 Víctor Escribano Ucelay designs the nice fountain of the current square. Later in the 90s, the square is restored again.

“CARDENAL TOLEDO SQUARE”

According to oral tradition the house of Seneca was located in this area. The Cordovan philosopher was born around the year 4 BC and he was considered the most important figure of the Roman culture in Cordoba. Popularly, this place is known as the square of the "Headless" by the presence of a Roman statue which is missing its head. The floor is paved with the typical small polished Cordovan stones that are fine and elegant.

“SENECA SQUARE”

The church of San Francisco and San Eulogio and the current square next to it belonged, originally, to the Franciscan convent of San Pedro el Real founded in the thirteenth century. There are two floors of archways. For every two arches above there is one arch below. The arches are semicircular and are supported on Tuscan columns capitals.The process of restoration of the old convent of San Pedro el Real was carried out in two phases: the first between April 1990 and 1997, and the second between November 2003 and December 2007, when the works completed.

“SAN FRANCISCO SQUARE”

It is a popular place of Cordoba, next to the Guadalquivir River.This square is named like this because of the fountain built in the middle of it. This square was the center of a popular and artisan district. There were many inns around the square that housed travelers arriving in the city but today there is only one. This inn takes its name from the square and it was the home of Miguel de Cervantes during his stay in the city. It is mentioned in Don Quixote. This inn is now considered an artistic monument. The old Charity Hospital was here too, which today it is the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Julio Romero de Torres.It is possible that the names of the square and the inn come from the Cattle fair in the middle Ages celebrated near the square, where people sold their horses.

“EL POTRO SQUARE”

This place used to be held traditional games with reeds in the middle Ages that has survived until the early eighteenth century and were recovered in the Modern Age by Philip IV. The richly dressed knights participated in this game of Moorish origin with canes and shields, throwing the cane each other.

“CAÑAS SQUARE”

“CORREDERA SQUARE”

It is one of the most emblematic places in Cordoba. The square has not changed since the XVII century, when it was designed by the architect Antonio Ramos from Salamanca.This is the only rectangular main square in Andalusia, as well as the Plaza Mayor of Madrid and Salamanca. It is located in a place where, one day, a Roman amphitheatre was built.We can find colouring elements of the Andalusian architecture in this semi- regular square. It has its entrance through the Arco Alto (High Arch) and Arco Bajo (Low Arch). Under Arab control, it could perfectly be a place for commercial exchanges. Corredera Square was always a key point for commercial exchange until the XXI Century.In the XVII Century bullfights were celebrated here and Horse Races too. The Market Sánchez Peña and Doña Ana Jacinta houses are buildings that shape this square. The current market Sánchez Peña was a headquarters town hall and a jail until the nineteenth century. In 1846, the businessman José Sánchez Peña bought the building and installed there a factory of hats. The workers had their homes in the upper part of the building.

“ORIVE SQUARE”

Orive square has three entrances: the first from San Pablo Street on its north side; the second from Villalones Street its eastern side; and the third from Orive Gardens by a gate next to Orive Palace, on the southwest side.

Orive Orchard, recovered as a public garden in 2004, is situated at the back of Orive Palace. This is the finest example of Renaissance architecture Cordovan work by Hernán Ruiz II in 1560. The garden retrieves the palace and green-gardens of the Convent of San Pablo. There is an unfinished chapter inside the convent.

“CONDE DE PRIEGO SQUARE”

There were three buildings in this square: Santa Isabel Convent, Conde de Priego House and Marqueses de Guadalcázar House. In the XV Century people talk about a Palace of Conde de Priego which is the current name of this square. Nowadays, we can see here just part of the convent at the wall in the South. In the centre of this Square we can see a sculpture dedicated to the most important bullfighter in Cordoba, Manolete, a work by Álvarez Laviada in collaboration with the architect Luis Moya. When this figure died in the middle of the XX century, people asked for something in his honour, so the Town hall organised a Bullfighting Festival to collect money for this monument. Santa Marina Church is opposite the sculpture and it is one of the main Fernandina churches in Cordoba, being like a symbol of this area

Participants of “Pequeño Cicerone Project” in Andalucia Profundiza• 1. Gonzalo Cibajas• 2. Alba González• 3. Daniel Gutiérrez• 4. Patricio Hidalgo• 5. Inmaculada Hidalgo• 6. Rocío Muñoz• 7. Nekane Rodríguez• 8. Eduardo Romero• 9. Javier Romero• 10. Jorge Vázquez• 11. Laureano Alcalde• 12.Mª José Manosalvas• 13. Victoria Méndez• 14. Andrea Triola• 15. Pilar Mudarra• 16. Ester Molina, the Teacher