We will start the analysis of the items of the Church of San Lorenzo on the side of the Gospel, where, first of all, we can highlight the Altar of Our Lady of the Remedies. The altarpiece, made in golden wood, consists of two sections and only one vertical section, where we can mention the use of the Solomon column with Corinthian capital of the continuous and parted frieze decorated with garlands and fruit. In the central alcove there is the image after which the altar is named and, over it, a sculpture of “San Fernando“.

In this first section, two 17th-century paintings stand out: the first one is a “Martyrdom of San Lorenzo” by Acisclo Antonio Palomino, great painter and treatise writer, as well as the “Virgin of Silence“, by Antonio Mohedano.

Almost in the side apse we can see the Chapel of the Remedy of the Souls, a square space covered by a Gothic ribbed vault from the beginning of the 14th century. At the front, there is the Holy Christ of the Remedy of the Souls, and on the left, Our Lady Mother of God in her Sadness, anonymous images from the 17th century which give their name to the Brotherhood of the Remedy of the Souls, in procession along the streets of our city on Holy Monday.

From the apse of the Gospel we will only highlight three images, all of them belonging to the popular Brotherhood of the Small Donkey. In the centre, we can see Our Father Jesus of the Kings, made by Juan Martínez Cerrillo in 1963. On both sides there are two Virgins, Our Lady of the Palm and Holy Mary of Victory. The first of them, by Francisco Romero Zafra, goes behind the first pace of the Small Donkey in the procession on Palm Sunday morning.

The Main Altar does not have an altarpiece, as it usually happens in other similar churches, although it had one in the past, but, due to the importance of the mural paintings it has, they decided to take it down and keep it at the foot of the nave of the Epistle, which is its current location. The altarpiece was started by Melchor Fernández Moreno and finished by Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo and Manuel del Río at the end of the 17th century. It has a big size, with two sections and three vertical sections. The third section is missing, which would fit in a curve with the apse. The columns have spiral shafts with the third lower part which is different and Corinthian capital. In the centre there is a Tabernacle with a sculpture of San José, and over it, in the second section, a sculpture of San Lorenzo, by Pedro de Paz, depicted with his most characteristic attribute, the gridiron used in his martyrdom. On the sides there are four big canvases representing the life of the saint.

The Altarpiece of Our Father Jesus of the Calvary is from the next century and it is located in the apse on the side of the Epistle. In the centre there is the main image of the Brotherhood of the Calvary. The image dates back to 1723 and it was made by Brother Juan de la Concepción. It is taken on procession in the evening of Holy Wednesday together with Our Lady of the Great Pain, a contemporary work by Antonio Castillo Ariza and Francisco Díaz Jiménez. Over the image of the Lord, at the top of the altarpiece, we can highlight an anonymous sculpture of San Roque, made in the middle of the 18th century.

In the nave of the Epistle, we can find the Chapel of the Tabernacle, which can be accessed through two pointed arches. This rectangular space, from the beginning of the 14th century, is covered by two Gothic ribbed vaults and it is one of the most worshipped places in the Church of San Lorenzo, partly due to having the image of the Virgin of Villaviciosa, which dates back to the end of the 16th century. The canvas of “The Calvary” was at the top part of the old altarpiece mentioned by Fernández de Castro.

Lastly, we should mention the Altar of Our Lady of Rosary, with similar characteristics to the one of Our Lady of the Remedies, located opposite it, in the nave of the Gospel. In the central alcove we can see the image after which the altar is named and, over it, a sculpture of King David playing the lyre.

If you are wondering what to do in Córdoba, we recommend you visit the Fernandine Churches hiring one of our guided tours. We will explain there a special chapter dedicated to the Church of San Lorenzo. Choose to do high quality sightseeing with qualified staff. Do not hesitate, ArtenCórdoba is the best option.

Text: J.A.S.C.