Palacio de Orive, also known as Casa de los Villalones, is one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings of the city, built in 1560 by Hernán Ruiz II. Nowadays, it is mainly used as headquarter of Culture, Festivities and Tourism.
This building comprehends two patios, around which are the many rooms of the house. The Patio Central is covered by white walls and a beautiful marble floor. Even though itsfloral decoration is not excessive, this place is considered as a particular spot where the visitor can find most traditional plants of Córdoba; i.e. geranios, gitanillas and pilastras.
The former Corpus Christi Convent, belonging to the Order of Saint Dominic, is a 17th-century Baroque building with a composition that breaks from the urban design of the surrounding area. After its secularisation in 1992, the building was refurbished based on a design by Rafael de la Hoz to house the headquarters of the Antonio Gala Foundation, where young artists of diverse disciplines live and work together.
In addition to other smaller patios, the entry patio and cloister are highlights of the building structure. The cloister, located on the upper floor of this irregularly-shaped building, looks out onto arcades around the edges on two floors, supported by round arches resting on Tuscan columns. A fountain and a large orange tree make the beauty of this silent patio complete, an oasis of peace in the midst of an already quiet city.
Housing the main offices of Vimcorsa since December 2001, in this mansion from the late 19th century, Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas and one of the greatest writers in the Spanish Romanticism genre, was born, hence the name of the street where the house stands. For most of the 20th century, the building was known as the Carbonell House, because the headquarters of the famous olive oil company were housed here. The architecture falls under the style of the typical mansions or “hotels” from the late 19th century.
The floral intervention is located in the patio that forms the entrance to the property, created by the “U” shape of the building. Enclosed by a magnificent iron gate from 1909, the Modernist iron and glass marquees that crowns the building entrance catches the eye. It has two floors, with balconies above and windows below, inscribed in round blind arches. Crowning the façade is the coat of arms with double ‘C’ for “Casa Carbonell”.
This palace (currently the Córdoba Archaeological Museum) was built over the ruins of an old Roman theatre, and thus, a part of the theatre stands can be seen in one of the rooms.
The square-shaped footprint of the palace (which dates from the 16th century) is arranged around two patios. The first is rectangular, holds the entry area and features a pool in the centre. It adjoins the second patio by means of an open arcade with round arches, in 16th-century Italian style. The rooms of the original home are arranged around the second patio, with round arches on two floors.
The Posada del Potro inn is mentioned in such masterpieces of Spanish literature as Don Quijote (by Miguel de Cervantes, who, it is said, stayed here whenever he came to the city) and La feria de los discretos (or The City of the Discreet, by Pío Baroja), and it is the quintessential vernacular home of the 14th and 15th centuries, which is commonly referred to as a “corral de vecinos”, or humble dwellings grouped around a central courtyard. It was built as an inn, and was used for this purpose until 1972, while currently housing the Fosforito Flamenco Centre.
Quarters such as the stables and rooms are laid out around its central patio. The upper floor features wooden railings, supports and roof overhangs, which were restored in 2005 during the creation of the Flamenco Centre. This patio is one of the iconic images of the city, where Flamenco singing, music and dance performances are often held.
This was the Convent of Saint Claire, the first monastery for nuns in Córdoba after the conquest by the Christians, built in the 13th century over a mosque (from which the minaret still exists). Today, adjoining the church, a modern building complex has been designed to house the offices of several government agencies, connected through a series of patios reminiscent of Arab architecture.
The FLORA artistic intervention focuses on the most contemporary patios of the building, which are noteworthy because all of the carpentry, blinds, enclosures, walls and floors are white. In the Patios of the Well, the Pool and the Spectacles, you will not see flower pots, but rather built-in planters and plants on the floor. This is a unique labyrinth that also functions as a bridge between the architecture of the traditional patios and the most contemporary ones. A different way of interpreting the architecture of Cordoba.
The palatial homes where the Municipal Bullfighting Museum is housed are included on the List of Protected Heritage within the Historic Site of Córdoba. Beyond the artistic value of the building and the collection held there, its importance also lies in the history of the inhabitants of the property. Historical records have provided information about the owners of these palatial homes, which belonged to the Dukes of Almodovar and Hornachuelos, who received them as entailed estate from Juan de Góngora, younger brother of the poet, Luis de Góngora, the most distinguished resident of Plaza de Maimónides.
One of the main features of the palace is its central patio with cloister, which has generous corridors on the lower floor and pleasant arcades on the upper level. The windows on all four sides turn the patio into a kind of large glass case through which to observe the simple fountain adorning its centre, surrounded by the customary “Córdoba cobblestone”.
The Guzmanes House, previously known as the Hoces House, was built on a site donated by King Ferdinand III, “the Saint”. What we see today is a 15th-century manor house with a typically Cordovan structure, its rooms arranged around two porticoed patios. The Municipal Archives are housed here, so the people of Córdoba come here to consult old documents needed when purchasing a house, posters, photographs and even the “Cemetery Records”. In sum, it is the city’s memory.
In the patio that FLORA will turn into a unique “paradise” there are three openings with Mudejar style coupled windows, cusped and festooned arches in which stone and brick alternate, dating from the 15th century. Also of note are the Mudejar coffered ceilings in the arcade that connects the two patios and the abundant plant life that is refreshing in summer and beautiful in winter.