The Palace of Orive is a Renaissance building in the old quarter of Cordoba. The palace also has gardens and a hall where shows and exhibitions are held. Follow us to find out all the details.
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The Palace
This is a building designed by the architect Hernán Ruiz II in 1560. What you can see in this palace is a Renaissance work. On the façade you can see two arches, capitals and a large window decorated in stone. Above them there is a belvedere with marble columns and arches.
Inside, there is a central courtyard with columns on two floors. This is the headquarters of Culture and Historical Heritage of Cordoba. In some editions, it has been used as a stage for the Flora Flower Festival.
The Orive Gardens
These gardens are made up of the former orchards of the Palace of Orive and the former Convent of San Pablo. Since 2004, the area has been restored and is now one of the urban parks in the historic centre.
Within the Orive Gardens is the chapter house of the former convent. In addition, various excavations have uncovered the remains of a Roman circus and some houses from the Almohad period that still conserve parts of their decorated walls.
Orive Hall
As we have already mentioned, in the Gardens is the chapter house of the Convent of San Pablo, a work by Hernán Ruíz II, which was never finished. It has now been renovated and is used as an exhibition and concert hall.
History
The main building was built in the mid-16th century by Hernán Ruíz II in a clear Renaissance style. The history of its name is very curious, which is why it is also called Palace of Villalón Family.
We know that the house originally belonged to the Villalón family through a will that is still preserved. The previous house was demolished by order of Pedro I the Cruel, as a wartime revenge.
Throughout its history it has served as a barracks and prison for French soldiers during the war of independence. More recently it was a post office, a school of Arts and Crafts and even a French school.
The Leyend
By way of summary, legend has it that Don Carlos de Unciel and his daughter Blanca lived in the palace. One day they admitted some Jews to stay in a room in the Palace. During the night, while Blanca was spying, the Jews lit a candle and went down a staircase that had appeared out of nowhere.
The next day, Blanca tried to go down the staircase she had seen earlier that night. She lit a small candle with the remains of wax she found on the floor. When the magic staircase appeared, curiosity made her go down until she was trapped inside.
Her father tried to rescue her by digging in various parts of the palace without being able to find Blanca. Since that day, there are those who claim that some nights they hear cries and whispers of the young Blanca trying to get out of her martyrdom.