Arab Baths of Santa María

The truth is that of this public Arab bath, dating from the Caliphate period, we know very little about its history under Muslim rule. We have to go back to the beginning of the 13th century, after the conquest of the city by Ferdinand III the Saint, to find the first references to it. The bath then formed part of a lot that the Christian monarch assigned to the Córdoba family, specifically to Don Domingo Muñoz el Adalid.

The name Baños de Santa María (Baths of Saint Mary) undoubtedly comes from their proximity to the Cathedral, which was formerly a Mosque and which the baths served, and, we imagine, from belonging to the Collación de Santa María (the parish of Saint Mary). On the other hand, we know that this was not an isolated phenomenon in our city, since we know of other examples, such as the Baños de Santa Catalina (Baths of Saint Catherine), which, although originally Arab baths, adopted a Christian name, in this case due to their proximity to the convent of the same name.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous Arab baths for which we have documentary and even archaeological evidence, and which we have not been able to recover, nor will we ever. However, the case of the Baños de Santa María is different, as thanks to the preservationist spirit of the various owners (from the aforementioned Córdoba family, to the Cathedral Chapter itself, to the Counts of Cañete de las Torres in the mid-20th century, and currently Don Enrique Cañas Velasco), this jewel of Caliphal art has come down to us, bearing witness to what was probably the period of greatest splendor of our city.

Location and evolution of the building

In the past, the bath’s façade faced the streets of Céspedes and Velázquez Bosco; the latter, through which we currently enter, was known as Calle del Baño (Bath Street), in clear reference to the building in question. Before briefly analyzing the rooms, it is worth mentioning that throughout its long life it has undergone numerous restorations and transformations, until it became part of a private home; in fact, the bath is private, although the owner opens it for tourism.

The rooms of the bath

Warm Water Room

We enter the interior of the Arab Baths of Santa María and find ourselves in a square room of modest dimensions, known as the Warm Water Room (hayt al-wastâni). We understand that it was a vaulted room with skylights, in the center of which there would have been a small pool for bathing, which after renovations in the 18th century was walled up and the roofs destroyed, transforming it into what it is now, a light patio.

It would be logical to think that to the eight columns that support the walls, we should add those missing on the two shorter sides, which form two horseshoe arches with an extremely elongated span. The columns have smooth shafts and beehive capitals, from the Caliphate period; above these rise the aforementioned horseshoe arches, now stuccoed and polychromed to imitate the voussoirs.

Hot Water Room

At the back of the patio, a small door leads us to a long room more than 10 meters in length. Covered by a barrel vault made of ashlar and pierced with rectangular skylights arranged in a staggered pattern, this is the Hot Water Room (bayt al-sajun). At the front are three entrances, the two on the ends bricked up, while the central one leads to a vaulted gallery about six meters deep and almost two meters high, which takes us to a cistern.

Visiting the Arab Baths of Santa María

If you would like to visit the Arab Baths of Santa María, do not hesitate to book one of our guided tours. We are experts in the interpretation of Córdoba’s historical heritage. If you have chosen to go sightseeing in Córdoba, choose a quality option, choose ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.