Tower of Malmuerta

A genuine royal decree from King Henry III the Sufferer, dated October 1404, stated: “And since it is to my service to know how many maravedís you have spent on said works, so that if there is any surplus it may be spent on the works of the Tower of the Malmuerta and on said battlements.” This document, which refers to the financing of restoration works on a supposed Tower of the Malmuerta, proves the existence, before 1404, of an albarrana tower located in the same place as the current one, and therefore predates the one we know today.

The Tower of the Malmuerta in the 15th Century

The tower we currently know as the Malmuerta was built between 1404 and 1408, inspired by the Gate of Seville of the Old Alcazar, which, as previously mentioned, is an albarrana tower connected to the wall by two semicircular arches. In our case, there is only one arch, which served as a walkway to reach the tower from the wall.

The Tower of the Malmuerta is made of stone and has an octagonal floor plan with semi-pyramids at the base for reinforcement. It is crowned by battlements and merlons, beneath which runs a decorative frieze in a losange (diamond) pattern, made up of rhombuses and geometric figures. The arrow slits were carved with slots to fit crossbows, so they could be fixed and allow crossbowmen to shoot with greater force.

Beneath the arch is a double stone frame, into which are embedded the coat of arms of King Henry III and an inscription that reads: “In the name of God. So that good deeds are not forgotten, this night the very powerful King Don Henry ordered the construction, and Doctor Pedro Sánchez, magistrate of this city, laid the foundation. And it was begun in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 1404, being Bishop Don Fernando Deza… and finished in the year 1408.”

Legends of the Tower of the Malmuerta

Over time, the nature of its name greatly influenced the imagination of the people of Cordoba, giving rise to a wide range of legends surrounding the Tower of the Malmuerta. There are all kinds, such as the one starring a Moorish necromancer who supposedly built it and hid a great treasure inside; legend said that when a knight, galloping on horseback, managed to read the inscription beneath the arch, the tower would collapse and the treasure would appear.

The most popular legend blends fantasy with the historical event of the death of the commanders of Cordoba, which in summary is as follows: Don Fernán Alonso de Córdoba was married to Doña Beatriz de Hinestrosa, who maintained an extramarital relationship with Don Jorge de Solier y Fernández de Córdoba, Commander of Cabeza del Buey. Don Fernán discovered his wife’s infidelity and one night in August 1448 killed Don Jorge, his brother Fernando (also a commander), his wife Beatriz, and three servants. After the massacre, he fled the city, but took advantage of a letter of immunity signed by King Juan II, which freed anyone, regardless of their crime, who served him at the Antequera front for a year. When the year was up, Don Fernán returned to Córdoba.

Juan Rufo recounted the event in his long ballad “The Commanders of Córdoba“, greatly distorting it. He placed the protagonist returning from a hunt, and the victims in Don Fernando’s house, where they were killed. On the other hand, Lope de Vega brought the matter to the stage under the same title, “The Commanders of Córdoba” (1596), following the plot of Juan Rufo’s poem but without naming the protagonists.

And it is here that the popular legend enters, adding that, as compensation for the lives taken, Don Fernán was condemned to build the Tower of the Malmuerta, something that could not have happened, since it occurred forty years after the construction of the tower.

Later Uses and Present Day

After definitively losing its military function, this central building housed an astronomical observatory during the 18th century, served as a gunpowder depot, or as a fumigation chamber during times of great epidemics. In the 20th century, the late mayor Alfonso Cruz Conde adapted the interior hall for the “exaltation of the people of Cordoba who took part in the Columbian epic.”

Numerous postcards from the last century show us a Tower of the Malmuerta freed from those new buildings, which, despite surpassing it in height, cannot take away its monumentality and beauty.

Visiting the Tower of the Malmuerta

If you are wondering what to visit in Córdoba, a good option would be the Tower of the Malmuerta, by choosing one of our guided tours. Choosing to do quality tourism is choosing ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.