Sanctuary of Fuensanta

To the east of the city of Córdoba, on the site of the old orchards, the popular and traditional neighborhood of Fuensanta was born, named after the Virgin of all Cordobans and, of course, the Sanctuary built in her honor.

Origin and Devotion to the Virgin of Fuensanta

In front of the current church stands a humilladero erected at the end of the 15th century to protect the miraculous well where, according to legend, the small image of the Virgin of Fuensanta was found, an apocope of “Fuente Santa” (Holy Spring). A tile mural, placed in 1949, graphically and documentarily narrates how the Virgin appeared, accompanied by Saint Acisclus and Saint Victoria, to the humble wool carder Gonzalo García in the year 1420: “In this venerable place, near this Holy Spring in which nature had created a lush fig tree, in whose trunk was contained the sacred image that is venerated in this Holy temple, which a Christian had hidden at the entrance of the Moors into Córdoba; coming down this path was a devout man of the Queen of Heaven, named Gonzalo García, weary and troubled because his wife was paralyzed, and his daughter insane. This sovereign Lady appeared to him, accompanied… and commanded him to take water from this spring to his wife and daughter and they would be healed. He obeyed the command, and suddenly they were freed from their illness. Year 1420.”

The Virgin of Fuensanta is the Co-Patroness of the city of Córdoba.

The Fuensanta Humilladero

The humilladero of the Sanctuary of Fuensanta has a square floor plan, with three sides open to the exterior through pointed arches, while the fourth side is closed and contains a niche with the aforementioned inscription. Covered by a star-shaped ribbed vault, its ribs rest on corbels decorated with symbols of the evangelists, and the keystones depict the evangelists themselves. The wellhead was created by Mateo Inurria at the beginning of the last century.

The Church of the Sanctuary of Fuensanta

The church of the Sanctuary of Fuensanta is the result of various restructurings, one of which took place in 1646, altering the original structure and replacing it with one of Baroque aesthetics. A final intervention was carried out in 1976 to adapt it to its new role as the parish church of the neighborhood.

The façade is made of brick and structured with a stepped composition that culminates in a bell gable with three openings for bells. The stone portal has three levels, with a split triangular pediment on the lower level, a small balcony and a circular pediment with a broken cornice on the second level, and a circular oculus at the top. This corresponds to the 1647 restoration, during which the church was expanded and the foot of the nave was added, following the characteristics of the Baroque style.

The church also has a Gothic-style side door made of stone, with a pointed arch framed by an alfiz. At the end of the 17th century, a portico was added to the side façade leading to the courtyard, with six brick arches on stone columns, designed to protect the votive offerings, among which remain those of the caiman, the teeth of large American fish, and the whale rib.

Interior of the Temple

The temple has a rectangular floor plan with three naves, divided into three sections of pointed arches supported by cruciform pillars, reflecting a marked Gothic-Mudejar style. The main chapel, dating from the early 16th century, is accessed through a pointed triumphal arch and is covered by a Gothic ribbed vault. On the side walls are plaques that recall the miraculous appearance of the image of the Virgin.

There is a legend about the Fuensanta caiman, which is displayed in the church.

It is presided over by a 17th-century altarpiece that houses the image of the Virgin of Fuensanta, accessed from the exterior by a red marble staircase, covered by a vault decorated with plasterwork.

Notable Chapels

Among the chapels, we can highlight the one located at the head of the gospel side, presided over by an image of Saint Anne with the Virgin as a Child, and on either side the busts of an Ecce Homo and a Sorrowful Virgin in two small urns, and on the altar table a wooden reliquary of the Holy Cross in the shape of a monstrance.

On the other hand, the chapel at the head of the epistle side, known as the Chapel of the Tabernacle or of Christ of the Mercies, contains several fresco paintings representing angels with the symbols of the Passion on the vault, attributed to the Cordoban painter Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra.

At the foot of the church, flanking the choir located above the vestibule of the temple, are the Chapels of Saint Joseph and of Christ of the Humilladero, built in the early 20th century.

Visit to the Sanctuary of Fuensanta

If you’re unsure what to do in Córdoba, we recommend visiting the Sanctuary of Fuensanta by booking one of our guided tours. Choose high-quality tourism with qualified staff — no doubt about it, ArtenCórdoba is your best option.

Text: J.A.S.C.