MERCED CONVENT

CONSTRUCTION YEAR: The church is built between 1716 and 1745.
The current complex is a work of the eighteenth century, although reformed in 1850, when it was assigned to hospice, and in 1960, to adapt it to the seat of the Provincial Council.
STYLE: Baroque and Renaissance.
LOCATION: Plaza de Colón, S / N, 14001 Córdoba
INTERIOR: The church is a Latin cross plan inscribed in a rectangle. It has a flat headboard -flanked by sacristies-, after ships and cruise. Above the formeros arcs, tribunes are opened along the arms of the cross. The central nave is covered with a barrel vault with lunettes and the arms of the transept are made with rooms of sphere divided into three segments. The tectonic elements are decorated with polychrome medallions, where busts appear in half relief of the saints and blessed of the Mercedarian order framed by rich plasterwork. It has a very large high choir whose parapet is curved to incorporate the tribunes of the organs, unfortunately lost. The head of the choir wore a half-point wall painting, which represented the apparition of San Rafael to the blessed Simón de Sousa made by José Ignacio de Cobo y Guzmán.
HISTORICAL REVIEW: Traditionally the origin and foundation of this convent is linked to the figure of San Pedro Nolasco, to whom King Ferdinand III of Castile donated the basilica of Santa Eulalia after the conquest of the city. The building has undergone numerous transformations since its founding. The current complex is a work of the 18th century, although it was reformed in 1850, when it was assigned to a hospice, and in 1960, to adapt it to the seat of the Provincial Council, acquiring its current physiognomy under the direction of the architect Rafael de la Hoz Arderius. In January of 1978 the church suffered a great fire caused by a madman who destroyed the main altarpiece and all the furnishings that adorned it. Currently it is proceeded to recovery, at the expense of the aforementioned body.
The old convent of Nuestra Señora la Merced has been declared a monument of cultural interest since 2008.
SCHEDULE:
From Monday to Friday: from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Friday from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm guided and dramatized tour).
Weekend: closed.