Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos - The Palace of The Christian Kings

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Editor Pick

Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos

  • October 5, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by baroudeur2004 from Liege, Belgium
Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos

The Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos is not as beautiful as the Alcazar of Seville but it is nonetheless worth a visit, especially for its sumptuous gardens.

For your information, the construction of the Alcazar was undertaken in 1328, under the protection of Alphonse XI and later, the Alcázar underwent some transformations. During the campaign for the reconquest of Grenada, it was in this Alcázar that the Catholic Kings lived.

Its style is mudejar and its shape is square. Some strong towers stand at the four corners of the construction and around, the beautiful gardens that descend until the strands of the Guadalquivir River are the highlight of the visit. Three towers of the Alcázar are still standing. These are: the tower "del Rio", "del Homenaje" - in which we can visit a splendid lounge with Gothic influences - and the Lions tower which is also mudejar in style.

In the Alcázar, I visited various archaeological vestiges reminding me of the historic past of Cordoba: a 2nd or 3rd Century marble sarcophagus and seven beautiful Roman mosaics. I also noticed the ancient baths, the mudejar-style interior court and the gardens.

The Alcázar of Cordoba was also a place of stay (or to be jailed). It is there that Boabdil the Small (last monarch of the Moslem Granada) was jailed; also it is where the Catholic Kings welcomed Christopher Columbus before his departure for the New World. From 1490 to 1821 the Inquisition headquarters were in the Alcázar.

In the huge gardens, I could see the statue of Christopher Columbus meeting the Catholic Kings and wander among cypresses, palmtrees and myrtles, but that day it was especially hot (July 2006), so I did not stay for too long outside even though the trees in the gardens gave me some refreshment from the canicular heat.

Entrance is 4€ and its opening hours vary according to the season:
May to September : Tuesday-Saturday 10am-2pm and 6pm to 8pm; Sunday 9:30am-3pm;
October to April: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 2pm and 4:30pm to 6:30pm; Sunday 9:30am to 2:30pm.

From journal Romans, Muslims, and Christians in Cordoba

Editor Pick

Alcazar of the Christian Kings

  • January 24, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Owen Lipsett from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Alcazar of the Christian Kings

Considering its name means "Fortress of the Christian Kings," it's quite ironic that the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos was designed by Mudejars (Muslims who remained in formerly Muslim areas of the Iberian Peninsula that had been reconquered by Catholic forces) in the style that bears their name. Although the present Mudejar structure was completed in 1328 on the orders of King Alfonso XI of Castile, it rests quite literally on far more ancient foundations, including the city's Roman walls and fortifications built by the Visigoths and Moors. Architectural niceties aside, the Alcazar's name is singularly appropriate on the basis of the role it subsequently came to serve.

Cordoba's historic importance as a center of intellectual and commercial life within the Iberian Peninsula led to the monarchs of Castile holding court in the Alcazar's palace with increasing regularity. It was also strategically positioned for military campaigns against the Moors, particularly in the 15th century, after their presence in Iberia had been reduced to the city-state of Granada. In 1485, Queen Isabella of Castile and Leon (whose marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon created Spain as we now know it) moved her court there permanently in order to better supervise the campaign against Granada. Consequently, it was there that in 1492 that Ferdinand and Isabella gave their assent and patronage to his voyage across the Atlantic. Although Spain's court subsequently moved, it left behind a grim reminder of its presence in the Alcázar in the form the Inquisition, first instituted in 1481, which imprisoned, tortured, and killed suspected heretics within the fortress' walls until well into the 19th century.

Unfortunately, there is no descriptive information inside the Alcazar itself to provide visitors with any sense of this history, as it's treated more as a municipal edifice than a tourist attraction. A few Roman mosaics and statues found nearby, a plaque honoring the Guancha queen who was briefly imprisoned within the complex, and three gigantic statutes honoring Ferdinand, Isabella, and Columbus in the complex gardens are all that allude to the momentous events that transpired within it. Indeed, it was only after visiting that I found that part of the battlements visitors are permitted to climb (although only 15 at a time), known as the Inquisition Tower!

There's some disagreement over whether the gardens themselves, Cordoba's most elaborately manicured but not as pleasant as those which surround the city, date to Spanish or Moorish rule, although such fine points of history tend to get lost among the hordes you're certain to find inside them unless you make a point of visiting just as they open in the morning! Once inside, it's also worth exploring the Mudajar baths that adjoin them. Despite these points of interest, even as a history-lover I can't recommend paying the €3 entry fee, but it's worth a look if you've already purchased the Cordoba Card or are visiting on a Friday, when it's free (and consequently extremely crowded.)

From journal Cordoba: Where History Takes a Siesta

The Alcazar.

  • July 13, 2002
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Tolik from Tampa, Florida
A few blocks down the river from Mezquita is the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, a palace built by the Christian kings in 1327 (but some parts of the massive walls and towers date from the moorish times). Around the Alcazar, within the walls, are gardens with pools and fountains. Ferdinando and Isabel bade Columbus farewell here. From 1490 to 1821 Alcazar served as a headquarters for the Inquisition.

From journal Capturing Cordoba

Editor Pick

Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos

  • November 11, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Adelaide from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Palace of the Christian Kings, built in 1328 by Alfonso XI, was the fortress where they lived during the reconquest period, but unfortunately it was closed during my visit. It was here that the Catholic Kings received Columbus prior to his voyage to the Americas. Its elegant gardens and its contents are magnificent, with Roman mosaics and sarcophaguses of the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

From journal Cordoba, 1000 years after

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