Saint Paul Church

The current Church of San Pablo was founded by Ferdinand III the Saint as the Convent of San Pablo el Real in the Parish of San Andrés, a sparsely populated area at the time of the Reconquista. As such, the convent acted as a repopulating nucleus alongside the church that gives its name to the parish. Located near the wall that connected the districts of Ajerquía and Villa, and linked to one of the city’s main roads, the Via Augusta, the convent occupied a privileged area in Córdoba.

The extension of the complex was quite vast, now reduced to the church, which by the early 20th century was in a state of ruin. Thanks to the efforts of P. Pueyo, it has survived to the present day. A copy of the foundational privilege of San Pablo, granted in the year 1241, has revealed many details about the early period, such as the fact that the convent benefited from numerous donations, alms, privileges, and above all, the Dominican friars who occupied it from the start enjoyed royal protection for several centuries. The friars owned a large number of properties, evidenced by the houses they sold or rented for shops, a school, or a beguinage.

The church’s dedication is due to the fact that the city was taken by Christian forces precisely on the feast day of Saint Paul and Saint Peter, giving the church a notable symbolic character.

Renovations and Historical Transformations

16th-Century Interventions

As is the case with other buildings in our city, the Church of San Pablo has undergone numerous renovations and transformations over the years. The first of these dates back to the 16th century, when master builders such as Hernán Ruiz III and Juan de Ochoa worked on the convent. Notably, Ochoa was responsible for the church’s west façade and the convent’s cloister, of which only a few arcades remain in the access courtyard of what is now the Provincial Delegation of Culture (among other departments) of the Junta de Andalucía.

17th-Century Works

During the 17th century, the building underwent few significant changes, although Alonso Gómez de Montoro requested a burial site, and in 1663, the medieval chapels of Ánimas and San José were added to the church, resulting in a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.

18th-Century Building Boom

While the 17th century was a period of relative calm in the construction works of the Church of San Pablo, the 1700s were quite the opposite. The gate to the courtyard was built around 1706 by Bartolomé de Rojas and Andrés de Pino Ascanio, following a “retablo-style” portal scheme. During this period, the Rosary Chapel Camarín was also built, considered the finest marble ensemble by Alonso Gómez de Sandoval. In the 1760s, the façade opening onto San Pablo Street was built, featuring a relief of the Virgin of the Rosary, sculpted by Juan Navarro León.

Contemporary Restorations

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a thorough restoration of the Church of San Pablo was undertaken, directed by Adolfo Castiñeyra and Mateo Inurria, with the restructuring of the Chapel of the Christ of the Expiration being a highlight. Upon cleaning the chapel’s walls, restorers discovered three blind multifoil arches, as well as latticework with interlace or alfiz motifs. These findings inspired a Neo-Mudejar redecoration of the chapel, imitating the plasterwork of the Royal Chapel of the Mosque-Cathedral.

The Building

The Church of San Pablo is built with ashlar stone laid in header and stretcher bond, sometimes with several headers. The naves are unusually elongated compared to other churches of the period, with the central nave being wider and higher than the lateral ones. The three naves are connected by four large arches, the first two bays following a different plan than the last two. The first two have the typical design of Fernandine Churches in Córdoba, with arches supported by cruciform piers with attached columns and pilasters. The arches in the last two bays are supported by large rectangular piers with attached columns on their narrower sides. Above these arches is a second row of blind semicircular arches, supported in the last two bays by small smooth-shaft columns attached to the wall. These arcades help counter the thrusts of the wooden tie-beam roof covering the central nave, completed in 1536.

Apse and Chancel

The chancel of the Church of San Pablo comprises three apses, the central one being polygonal and reinforced externally by four buttresses. The lateral apses are straight on the outside and semicircular on the inside—a plan repeated in the Church of San Pedro and considered one of the oldest types in the city. All three spaces are covered by Gothic rib vaults with highlighted keystones and quarter-sphere vaults over the sides.

Singular Elements

One of the most interesting features of this temple is the large number of unique architectural elements, such as attic-type Roman bases shaped like shells with claws, the variety of columns and capitals in the central apse, or the aforementioned rectangular piers in the central nave.

Church Façades

Façade on the Gospel Side

The façade on the Gospel side is located at the west end of the church. In 1409, Doña Leonor López de Córdoba ordered the construction of her chapel where the entrance used to be, which led to its relocation to its current position. The façade follows a common scheme in Córdoba, with a semicircular arched entrance framed by moulded archivolts, but it differs in that the canopy is made of wood instead of stone.

Main Façade

The main façade of the Church of San Pablo is the work of architect Juan de Ochoa, a prominent figure in 16th-century Córdoba. With simple lines, Ochoa left us a fine example of the prevailing Italian-inspired style. The first section is divided into three vertical panels: the central one features the entrance with a semicircular arch and decorated keystone, all framed by simple rusticated stonework. The side panels have Ionic pilasters flanking two blind openings—one rectangular and the other a niche with a semicircular arch. Above the pilasters are a plain frieze and split triangular pediment, leading to a rectangular space with moulding. The second section features a central niche with a statue of “Saint Dominic“, flanked by recessed pilasters supporting the triangular pediment crowning the façade. Above it is a large modern rose window. The entire composition is flanked by buttresses from the building’s earliest phase.

Entrance to the Courtyard

The gate leading to the courtyard was built in the early 18th century by Andrés del Pino Ascanio and Bartolomé de Rojas. Two Solomonic columns with Corinthian capitals stand on high plinths and flank the semicircular entrance arch. A statue of “Saint Paul” in a niche crowns the ensemble.

Altars and Chapels

Many documents attest to the existence of burials and private chapels in the Church of San Pablo from early dates. The Sotomayor family was buried in the Main Chapel, but later moved to another, now known as the Chapel of Souls, due to the high cost of maintaining their original site. The Argote family, lords of Cabriñana, were buried in the Gospel apse, now the Chapel of Sorrows. The Angulo family owned the Chapel of Saint Dominic, thought to have occupied the Epistle apse. A document from 1484 references the Chapel of the Hoces, possibly located where the Chapel of the Expiration now stands. At the west end of the Gospel nave was the Chapel of Saint Hyacinth, owned by the Mesa and Figueroa families, as evidenced by coats of arms on the entrance arch. Founded in 1446, the chapel underwent remodeling in 1483 to change its form.

Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary

This chapel was commissioned in 1409 by Doña Leonor López de Córdoba in memory of her father, Martín López, who was executed for supporting Peter I against his half-brother, Henry, who would become King Henry II of Castile. The Dominicans granted her the space where the Gospel door had been, allowing her to relocate the door to its current position at the west end of the church.

The chapel, dedicated since the 18th century to Our Lady of the Rosary, is accessed through a slightly pointed and raised arch resting on rows of smooth-shaft columns, whose capitals blend with a continuous frieze of vegetal motifs. The arch is framed by a simple alfiz, above which is one of the rose windows that light the room.

Interior Space and Roof

Inside is an octagonal space covered by a spectacular straight-ribbed star vault built by Pedro López in the late 15th century. A highlight is the image of “Our Lady of the Rosary“, from the 18th century, when the chapel was restructured and the Camarín was built to house the image.

The Camarín

The Camarín is entirely in the 18th-century style. Circular in plan, the semi-spherical dome is supported by pairs of columns on large plinths. Above them are sculptures of angels holding Christian symbols, and in the spaces between the dome ribs are medallions with stained glass images of various saints.

Chapel of Saint Joseph

Halfway along the Gospel nave is the Chapel of Saint Joseph, established in the early 15th century by Doña Inés Martínez de Pontevedra, a patron of several works in the church. Accessed through a simple pointed arch, it is square in plan and covered by an eight-panel dome via squinches with ribbed semidomes—a design often seen in Sevillian Mudejar architecture.

The altarpiece, designed to fit the dome’s layout, was crafted in the early 18th century by Jorge Mexia. Made of gilded wood, it has three vertical sections and two horizontal tiers, prominently featuring estipites and Solomonic columns. In the central niche stands the chapel’s patron saint, “Saint Joseph“, depicted with the Child Jesus and the lily branch, his most iconic attribute.

Connected to this is the Chapel of Souls, just a few meters from the Gospel apse. Founded in the late 14th century by the Sotomayor family after leaving the Main Chapel, it is square in plan with a similar roof structure. At the back is the chapel’s namesake image, the “Christ of Souls“, a beautifully crafted Crucifix from the early 17th century. Also noteworthy is a gilded wood altarpiece attributed to Alonso Gómez de Sandoval, dated to the mid-18th century, featuring images of the archangels “Saint Raphael” and “Saint Michael“.

Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows

The Gospel apse currently houses the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, patroness of the Brotherhood of Sorrows, which processes through Córdoba on Holy Thursday night into Good Friday. This sublime sculptural group was the final work of the exceptional Cordoban sculptor Juan de Mesa, donated to his city as his last wish. A detailed description of the piece can be found in the Holy Week section.

Main Altar

The Main Altar features a small marble tabernacle adorned with semicircular arcaded reliefs, supporting images of “Saint Paul“, “Saint Alphonsus“, and a “Virgin and Child” seated on a throne.

Epistle Apse

The Epistle Apse mirrors the Gospel apse but is decorated with a panel depicting “Saint Anthony Mary Claret” in a blessing pose. A door leads to the church‘s facilities, currently occupied by the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, formerly the Chapter Chapel.

Chapter Chapel

The Chapter Chapel is the oldest part of the Church of San Pablo, dating back to the Almohad period when it is believed to have been a palace chamber. The Dominicans adapted it for the Christian temple, using it as a funerary chapel, sacristy, and more. It’s a rectangular space divided into three sections, featuring a large pointed arch with an alfiz on wide corbels separating the first and second sections, and a horseshoe arch between the second and third, supported by pairs of columns with Almohad capitals. Particularly striking is the Hispano-Muslim interlaced rib vault, transitioning from square to octagonal with half-barrel-shaped squinches. From the octagon’s sides rise eight ribs crossing diagonally in pairs, leaving the center open for the lantern, supported by a second octagon.

Chapel of the Expiration

The Chapel of the Expiration lies at the west end of the Epistle nave and houses the titular images of the Brotherhood of the Expiration, which processes on Good Friday evening. Opposite is the “Most Holy Christ of the Expiration“, an anonymous work from the late 17th century, accompanied by “Mary Most Holy of Silence“, also anonymous from the 17th century, and to the left, “Our Lady of the Rosary“, a modern work by renowned Sevillian sculptor Luis Álvarez Duarte. As previously mentioned, Adolfo Castiñeyra and Mateo Inurria almost completely restructured the chapel during the late 19th and early 20th-century restoration, based on remnants like multifoil arches and historical latticework. The chapel was redecorated in Neo-Mudejar style, imitating the plasterwork of the Royal Chapel of the Mosque-Cathedral. This restoration has been the subject of much debate in Córdoba’s artistic circles.

Visiting the Church of San Pablo

If you would like to explore the Fernandine Churches, do not hesitate to book one of our guided tours. We will pay special attention to the Church of San Pablo. We are experts in the interpretation of Córdoba’s historical heritage. If you’ve chosen to visit Córdoba, choose a quality option—choose ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.