San Basilio, Córdoba — Area Guide & Where to Stay

What are the main landmarks in San Basilio?

San Basilio keeps its monuments inside its own walls, chief among them the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. The Torre de Belén, a square tower standing in that wall on Calle San Basilio, was converted in the fifteenth century to hold the chapel of Nuestra Señora de Belén. Felipe II had the Royal Stables of Córdoba built in the sixteenth century, next to the Alcázar, to breed the Andalusian horse.

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Paz, founded in 1590 by Basilian monks, stands beside Plaza de San Basilio. The Puerta de Sevilla opens westward.

What is the history of San Basilio?

San Basilio was laid out in the decades after the Christian conquest of Córdoba in 1236, on walled ground beside the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. Jewish converts occupied the quarter from the late fourteenth century. A move to expel them failed after the Catholic Monarchs intervened in 1479, and early in the fifteenth century the city settled crossbowmen and their families here to man the defences.

A new gate followed. The Puerta de Sevilla was cut through the western wall to serve the barrio. Its three streets were laid dead straight, which is why Calle Postrera, Calle Enmedio and Calle San Basilio still run parallel while the old town wanders.

Where is San Basilio?

San Basilio fills the walled ground between the Puerta de Sevilla and the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos in Córdoba, with the Guadalquivir along its southeastern edge.