As we'd dropped our rental car off on arrival in Madrid almost a week ago, this was our first time using Spain's great train system to Cordoba, about two hours southwest of the capital. The city had a glorious Roman and Moorish past, once serving as a regional capital for both empires. During the Dark Ages, when much of Europe was barbaric and illiterate, Cordoba was the center of enlightened thought. It was "famous for religious tolerance, artistic expression, and dedication to philosophy and the sciences," according to Rick Steves, the travel writer.
We knew we'd love Cordoba when the street outside our apartment was lined with fragrant orange trees that were owned by the city. The oranges were picked every fall and made into marmalade, our host said.
Directly across the street from the apartment was this grand gate and a pretty church inside the courtyard we decided to check out after leaving our bags with the host as our unit wasn't ready yet. The church was called the Parish Church of San Francisco and St. Elogius, named after one of the 9th century Martyrs of Cordoba when the Moors were in control of the city. The Gate of the Compass, built around 1782, replaced an earlier one. At its top was a figure of St. Francis of Assisi.
We knew we'd love Cordoba when the street outside our apartment was lined with fragrant orange trees that were owned by the city. The oranges were picked every fall and made into marmalade, our host said.
Directly across the street from the apartment was this grand gate and a pretty church inside the courtyard we decided to check out after leaving our bags with the host as our unit wasn't ready yet. The church was called the Parish Church of San Francisco and St. Elogius, named after one of the 9th century Martyrs of Cordoba when the Moors were in control of the city. The Gate of the Compass, built around 1782, replaced an earlier one. At its top was a figure of St. Francis of Assisi.
The church, built in the Gothic style during the 13th century, underwent a vast interior and exterior transformation during the Baroque period. Outside the church was the Garden of Jewelers. To the left of the temple were two of the cloister's galleries belonging to the old 17th century convent.
I was still getting used to the very ornate decorations in Spanish churches, especially the main altars. I couldn't get over how 'rich' this church was even though I'm sure it was considered one of the city's minor churches.
Unlike many of the larger churches in other Spanish cities, this church's chapels were all open and accessible and not dark and locked behind heavy gates. This was the Chapel of the Virgin of Cabeza. The next was the Chapel of Agony in the Garden.
It was so pleasant walking along the orange tree-lined streets toward the city's historical center even though it was chilly and drizzling to boot!
The Roman Bridge over the beautiful Guadilquivir River was a wonderful example of Roman architecture (duh!) from the 1st century, though it has been reconstructed several times since. It was the first bridge built over the river and established Cordoba as a strategic place. It used to be the main entrance to the city when the Romans dominated Hispania or Spain.
Directly across the street was the Triumphal Arch and Plague Monument which was designed to give King Philip II a royal welcome but he arrived before its completion so the rest was cancelled. The monument was dedicated to St. Raphael who was in charge of protecting the region's population from the plague, hunger and floods.
As we headed toward the Municipal Museum of Bullfighting Art, we saw this ever so pretty gazebo.
Cordoba is especially famous in the springtime when its privately owned patios are opened to admiring visitors from all over the world so they can view the zillions of blooming flowers. I read the city has over a million visitors during that time! I'd love to see the flowers but the thought of so many people in such a small city would likely deter me from going.
I bought one of these magnets to remind me of some of the pots we were lucky enough to see one rainy November day in Cordoba
Sure looks like we'd found the right museum with Steven standing in front of the bull! There are several bullfighting museums in Spain but this was regarded as the best by some people. As Cordoba was home to many of the legends in bullfighting, the city spent a good ten years putting together this museum. Steven and I knew absolutely nothing about the history of bullfighting and the fact it went back 1,000 years, so were curious to learn about an activity beloved by many Spaniards.
In the museum's courtyard were some of the pots of flowers the city is so famous for. Guess I don't need to return in the spring after all, right!
The painting from 1898 depicted matadors and bulls. We then watched a brief English-language video that described how bulls, beginning at the age of two, are tested in breeders' testing rings so the breeders can observe the animals' reactions and their fierceness can be gauged. I learned that bullfighting still takes place in a few cities in Spain but only for limited periods of time because of the growing concern about killing animals for sport. It also still occurs in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. However, we saw no signs or reference to bullfighting in the latter three countries when we visited in the fall of 2017.
Viewing several heads mounted on the walls of the defeated bulls brought home that the 'art of bullfighting' certainly wasn't for everyone as the aim of each bullfighter is for only him to emerge from the ring alive at the end of a fight. Ole!
There were many photos of famous bullfighters who were household names throughout the country but who meant nothing to either of us.
Perhaps most interesting were the ornate traje de luces or 'suits of light' that matadors wear in the bullring. You can see the blood still on this one!
It was certainly appropriate that one matador known as Lizard Boy wore a green traje de luces.
I discovered that three matadors or bullfighters initially fight six bulls with each one weighing 600 pounds but I didn't understand how they could safely do that. I guess it goes without saying that a bullfighter can never lose sight of the bull in the ring; he must 'read' his bull's 'soul.' There are three parts to a bullfight. The first occurs when a man on a horse spears the bull.
It is critical the bullfighter stares at the bull - for effect, for intimidation - I wasn't sure. The bullfighter must kill the bull with his metal sword held in his right hand while also holding a spear in his left hand which is used to pierce the bull's heart. It is regarded as a battle of intelligence and drive, of man versus beast.
The poster advertised 'Young Bulls Death' so it wasn't as if people weren't forewarned what to expect when attending a bullfight.
There was a very colorful exhibition of posters promoting the corrida or bullfight during ferias or fairs dating back to the early 20th century.
I could certainly see how the museum wasn't for everyone, but we found it helped to respect the Spanish tradition of bullfighting and learning about this 'ballet with death.' I would have enjoyed our time even more in the museum if far more of the displays had been in English.
Very close by was the very small Chapel of San Bartolome. In 1236, Christians led by Ferdinand III entered Cordoba, the capital of the Andalusian region since 711. After the attack on the city's Jewish Quarter in 1391 and the subsequent exodus and gradual conversion of Jews to Christianity, the district of San Bartolome was founded. Before then, the Jewish Quarter was kept separated from the rest of the city by walls and could only be entered through two gateways.
If you've read a lot of the previous posts about our time in other parts of Spain, you no doubt remember my writing about Mudejar art. The term 'mudejar' comes from Arabic and means 'he who has been allowed to remain.' It was used to refer to the Muslims who stayed after the arrival of Christians and were permitted to keep their own religion, language and customs.
The Mudejar style was the artistic expression of medieval Spanish society in which Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side by side.
Work on the minuscule chapel likely began in the late 14th or early 15th century. Its small size and its unfinished walls may be due to the fact that the Jewish Quarter was abandoned in 1391 after it was attacked.Nowadays, the Chapel of San Bartolome is part of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.
The latticework ornamentation on the walls included eight-pointed bronze star motifs with the coat of arms of the Order of the Band founded by King Alfonso XI to reward noblemen for their loyalty.
The Baroque altarpiece was completed with images from various sources and included a crucifix, and images of the Virgin and St. John.
The palm tree in the courtyard was protected in typical Cordoba style. Its covering was almost as interesting as the church which was so different from any we'd viewed previously.
Imagine being able to walk through so many intriguing wrought iron gates directly into the patios and seeing spectacular pots of flowers, especially when it not's pouring cats and dogs the entire time - what bliss that must be. As it was, we were still captivated by the uniqueness of the gates almost hiding their patios within. We felt privileged just being able to peek through the gates, and hoped nobody would be affronted by our doing so!
After touring the Bullfighting Museum earlier, it was amusing seeing this playful bull in front of a souvenir shop!
Next post: Visiting the Mezquita, Cordoba's former mosque and now a church and many more patios!
Posted on January 25th, 2019, from our home in Denver's Foothills.
No comments:
Post a Comment