A must-see in Cordoba is the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, an emblematic building whose gardens leave no one indifferent to having stepped on them. Today we want to tell you five curiosities that will make you want to see this monument as soon as possible.
Roman Origins
As you can read, the space in which this Cordovan enclave is located already had use in Roman times as customs and residence for senior officials, continuing its use in Visigothic times and when it reached the Muslim era it will begin to be configured as a place of residence until Abderramán III fixes his interest in the palatine city of Medina Azahara. The bases of the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos as we know it today are the seat of Alfonso XI.
Milestone in the first trips to the New World
And it is that tradition reflects that Christopher Columbus was quoted with Isabel I of Castile in the Tower of Homage (part of this Alcázar) to talk about the possibility of going to India by a route through the Atlantic Ocean, so convinced was Isabel that it is said that he sold his jewels to pay for the boats.
Fundamental enclave in the Reconquest of Granada
And it is here that the Catholic Monarchs resided very frequently during 8 long years to control the capture of the last Muslim kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula.
From the seat of the Inquisition to a civil jail
Once Granada was conquered, in 1499 its Catholic Majesties ceded the use of this space to the Holy Inquisition, which established here the seat of its tribunal in Cordoba until the moment of the institution's abolition at the beginning of the 19th century. Subsequently, this space will also be used as a civil prison.
Roman elements
In addition to the architecture and gardens that this space offers, we can find original elements from the Roman era, such as mosaics dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries found in the Plaza de la Corredera, and a sarcophagus found in the Huerta de San Rafael the Brilliant of the third century.
As we know that after knowing these curiosities you want to visit this Cordovan monument, we leave here the information of the schedules and price of the visit to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos:
From September 16 to June 15:
From Tuesday to Friday from 8.30 to 20.45
Saturdays from 8.30 to 16.30
Sunday and holidays from 8.30 to 14.30
Closed Monday
From June 16 to September 15:
From Tuesday to Sunday and holidays from 8.30 to 14.30
Closed Monday
If you have been wanting to discover in depth this and more corners of Cordoba, do not hesitate to have Córdoba Tips Tours. You can join the Free Historic District Tour (Puerta de Almodóvar at 11am - in Spanish - and at 13:30 - in English) and the Free Tour Legends of the Jewish Quarter (Puerta de Almodóvar at 17:30). Remember that it is necessary to previously book our free tours, through the web https://cordobafreetour.es. The experts of the yellow umbrella await you!
