The house dates back to the 15th-16th centuries, according to Miguel Ángel Roldán, president of the Association of Friends of the Courtyards in Córdoba, current owner of the building.

Miguel Ángel tells us that there were up 13 families living in the Courtyard on 44 (formerly 50),San Basilio Street, as many families as rooms. They shared the bathroom, the kitchen, the washing sink, the well… Everything happened around the courtyard, which was the centre of community life.

In the 1960s, the neighbours started to leave the building in search for a better confort and privacy. It was back then when the recently created Association of Friends of the Courtyards in Córdoba acquired the courtyard, or the House of the Bells, in both cases with a clear objective: to prevent this kind of buildings from disappearing.

After acquiring the building, the association considered the possibility of providing it with daily life, as it was closed most of the year. The first idea was to turn it into a rural hotel, but this was not carried out eventually because of the condition of the building. Later, they decided to rent the rooms on the ground floor for local craft businesses, and that is what we can see nowadays. In the courtyard we can see workshops dedicated to leather, ceramic, hand-painted fans, parfums… as well as the headquarters of Cofradía del Salmorejo (Brotherhood of Salmorejo, typical cold tomato soup) or the directing board of the Association of Traditional Stands in the Fair of Córdoba.

Three of the four sides of the courtyard have arcades, with stone whitewashed pillars, and covered terraces on the higher level, where we can highlight the stairway in the middle of the front wall, as it is very steep and straight, which is whitewashed, with wooden banister, as well as the thin pilasters in the terrace that it leads to. It still preserves the original flooring, made with stone pebbles, which make it very beautiful.

On the right side we must highlight the old well, also whitewashed, but we can barely see the whiteness of the limestone as it is fully decorated with flower pots, although we are very attracted by its old metal bucket hanging from the rope and pulley. In one of the rooms they have also preserved the communal washing rooms used by all the neighbours.

We must also highlight the courtyard’s doors and windows, made in dark wood, where we can see the very old spotted curtains through the glass. Every room is covered by a small roof made with the traditional Arab tile.

The whole Courtyard on 44 (formerly 50), San Basilio Street is full of pots with plenty of flowers, which greatly contrast with its white wall, providing with a lot of colour, as well as scent, since the flowers include roses, night-blooming jasmines, rosemary, mint, jasmines, thyme, basil and honeysuckle.

If you are wondering what to do in Córdoba, we recommend you visit the Courtyards in Córdoba hiring one of our guided tours. We will dedicate there a special chapter to the Courtyard on 44 (formerly 50), San Basilio Street. Choose to do high quality sightseeing with qualified staff. Do not hesitate, ArtenCórdoba is the best option.

Text: J.A.S.C.