The Chapel of Conception of the Church of Santo Domingo de Silos was finished in 1397, when Juan Pérez, judge and scribe of the council of the city, founded there the Brotherhood of Public Scribes. It is named after a small image of “Nuestra Señora de la Concepción” (Our Lady of Conception) located here back then.

There have been numerous speculations about when the works started, but it is true that today we only have the mentioned date of 1397. Some think that the works were carried out in the second half of the 14th century; others, that we need to go back to the first half, due to its architectonic characteristics. However, from our point of view, the most reasonable option is that the works started at the beginning of that century, since its stylistic features are similar to those found in other chapels of that time, such as the Chapel of Villaviciosa in the Church of San Lorenzo.

It has a rectangular floor, divided in two unequal spaces, covered by Gothic ribbed vault with a central rib, whose ribs are supported by corbels decorated with vegetable and zoomorphic motifs attached to the walls. These walls consist of blocks of stone arranged in headers and stretchers, although the disposition is a bit irregular. Up to five arches have been preserved, almost all of them with different proportions but similar characteristics, that is, they do not have any decoration whatsoever, the intrados is very thick…

The light is thought to have come originally through a loophole and an oculus, whereas the sepulchers could have been located in the stone urns that can currently be seen, although one of them could have been used as an altar, and the other one as an entrance.

To sum up, this is a clear example of the architecture built for this kind of foundations at the time, where the main element was the simplicity above all the rest, even the rough or old-fashioned elements.

If you are wondering what to visit in Córdoba, a good option would be the Fernandine Churches, choosing one of our guided tours. This way you will learn everything about the Church of Santo Domingo de Silos. Choosing to do high quality sightseeing is choosing ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.