San Basilio ( es, Barrio de San Basilio) is one of the neighbourhoods in the Centro district of
Córdoba, Spain. It is bordered by the
River Guadalquivir to the southeast. The district was specifically included in the
Historic centre of Córdoba
The historic centre of Córdoba, Spain is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. In 1984, UNESCO registered the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba as a World Heritage Site. A decade later, it expanded the inscription to include much of the old ...
as part of the
UNESCO World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
site.
Among its historic monuments are the
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos
The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Spanish for "Castle of the Christian Monarchs"), also known as the Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval ''alcázar'' () located in the Historic centre of Córdoba, historic centre of Córdoba, Spain, Córdoba ...
and the
Royal Stables of Córdoba
Royal Stables ( Caballerizas Reales) are a set of stables in Córdoba, Spain. The building is situated in the historic centre and borders the Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula an ...
.
History
San Basilio is named after the saint to whom the parish of ''Nuestra Señora de la Paz'' (Our Lady of Peace) was dedicated. It has a history going back to the years immediately following Córdoba's conquest by the Spaniards in 1236. At the beginning of the 15th century, it was decided to combat the city's lagging population by accommodating crossbowmen and their families there, especially as they could also man the surrounding defences.
The quarter has three main streets which run parallel to each other: ''Postera'', ''Enmedio'' and ''San Basilio''. Unlike the winding streets elsewhere in the city centre, they are perfectly straight, introducing a more rational approach to urban planning. By contrast, the generally two-storey, whitewashed houses have an Arabic look, arranged as they are around central courtyards or patios forming a neighbourhood known as "''Los Patios Cordobeses''". From the late 14th century, the area was occupied by Jewish converts who created a ghetto. An attempt to banish them failed, thanks to mediation by the Catholic monarchs in 1479. However, as a result of poor sanitation, they were later moved to nearby San Nicolas de la Villa.
[
One of the most interesting structures in San Basilio is the ]Torre de Belén
The Torre de Belén (literally: Bethlehem Tower) is located in the San Basilio, Córdoba, San Basilio neighbourhood of Córdoba, Andalusia, Córdoba, Spain. It forms part of the Historic centre of Córdoba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The towe ...
, a fine example of a former defensive gate providing access to a walled enclosure. The parish Church of San Basilio, on the site of a monastery founded in 1590, is built in the 17th-century Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style with period furnishings.altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...
from the former "Convento de Santa Clara".[
]
Gallery
File:Muralla del Alcázar Viejo (Córdoba, España).jpg, Alcázar Viejo wall
File:Córdoba - Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos.jpg, Alcázar
File:Jardins Alcazar reyes cristianos 1.jpg, Alcázar gardens
File:Torre de Belén.JPG, Torre de Belén
File:Patio San Basilio Cordoba.jpg, San Basilio patio
File:Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Paz, Córdoba (España).JPG, San Basilio Church
File:Caballerizas Reales 1 - Córdoba.JPG, Royal Stables
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Basilio, Cordoba
Historic centre of Córdoba, Spain