Convento De Santa Clara, Antigua Mezquita de los jueces de Córdoba

Steeped in history , this building contains a real wealth of heritage , a perfect example and silent witness to the passage of different cultures through our city over the centuries.

The silhouette of the old minaret , later used as the bell tower of the monastery , already suggests an image lost in time. In the heart of the Cordovan medina and in one of the most beautiful areas of the city, this monument is still patiently waiting for the moment to reveal its beauty.

It was built on the site of a mosque. Outside, on Calle Osio, a very dilapidated horseshoe arch of the Caliphate can still be seen from the entrance to the courtyard.

It was the first women's monastery to be established in Córdoba after the Christian conquest. It was founded in 1256, barely twenty years after the Christian conquest, by then only eight Sisters of Poor Clare . In the 16th century it underwent a thorough transformation and a baroque facade was added in the 18th century. The convent was abandoned in 1868 , when the nuns moved to the convent of Santa Cruz, of the same order. Later it was used as a gunpowder warehouse, military barracks and even a laundry, until it was finally bought by the town hall in the 1950s with the intention of turning it into a school.

But that's not all. In the bowels of the primitive prayer hall are even earlier remains of an early Christian church called the Church of Santa Catalina, about which little is known except for archaeological evidence. Evidence initially interpreted by the excavators as a church built during the Byzantine Empire's period of effective control over the city, between 554 and 572. The version eventually accepted is that it is an early Christian basilica with a strong Byzantine influence, with a centralized plan with a Greek cross topped by interesting mosaics with motifs typical of early Christian iconography.

In short, within these modest walls is a whole compendium of history and art that illustrates different moments in the history of our city. Several projects, some recent but already abandoned, considered their restoration and upgrading without ever being carried out.

Willem Vandenameele