Courtyard of the Well

From the already mentioned Courtyard of the Pool, we head for the Courtyard of the Well. These two spaces, as we mentioned earlier, had been connected for a long time, and belonged to the houses of the counts of Torres Cabrera, before Diego Rafael Cabrera y Fernández de Mesa, seventh marquis of Villaseca and count of Villanueva de Cárdenas, acquired them.

At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the Courtyard of the Well was known as Courtyard of the Wheel, referring to the wheel initially present in the well, which was used to extract water from it. As a proof of this, there are four buckets displayed over the well as decoration, which belonged to it.

With the arrival of Viana family, the courtyard still had a function mainly for the servants, as it belonged to the axis Gardeners-Well-Pool. It was with the third Marquis and Marchioness of Viana, Fausto Saavedra and his wife Sofía Amelia, when they started to decorate it with ornamental elements.

Next to the well, there was once the pool. In the 80s, when the palace was opened to the public, this was taken to its current location, since in its previous one it made it difficult for visitors to walk comfortably.

But let us focus on the main element of the complex, the well. It has an hexagonal whitewashed parapet and an edge with bricks arranged edgewise, everything finished with black forge. With a constant flow, it is located on the bed of Colodro River. It serves fountains and ponds of the palace, and it can even supply the house in case it needs it. Despite the archaeological remains, nowadays they are considering the hypothesis that the well was opened in Roman times.

The floor of the courtyard is irregular, and it adjusts its walls to the layout of the streets, such as Zarco Street, which can be accessed from the inside. The pavement, with small stones from Córdoba, contrasts with the white lime of its walls and the green of the leafy vegetation, like the rest of the courtyards of the house.

On the left, annexed to one of the walls, we find a stone fountain which receives water from a grey-marbled figurehead which reads: “Year 1913, Fountain of Doña Leonor“, referring to one of the last marquis’s sister.

The left wall is covered by climbing lantanas, and the decoration of this courtyard is completed with red and purple bougainvilleas, roses and a great variety of jasmines. Like in other courtyards, there are also old glazed earthenware jars, pots and other archaeological remains.

If you are wondering what to visit in Córdoba, a good option would be Viana Palace, choosing one of our guided tours. This way you learn everything about the Courtyard of the Well. Choosing to do high quality sightseeing is choosing ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.