New Door
In the New Door round about there is a little column with a door on it that
disappeared in 1895 and till the building of the Paseo de la Ribera Street; it was the entrance of the city through the named Royal Path. The door was put into the wall and it had a shoultered arch flanked by pillars that had a wainscot decorated with circular elements from which started a triangular pediment with a classic complex.
The origin of the New Door began in 1569, ad its building was motivated by the Philip II’s visit. Despite its disappearance in 1895 as many other doors and parts of
the wall, due to the enlargement of the city, this door is reminded three centuries later. Through it passed a lot of kings.
It is known that the fountain which decorates the Alpargate Garden, in Cristo de Gracia Square, was situated by this entrance. It was paid thanks to a bullfighting celerated in 1747 and the rest of the money was destinied for the triumph in the middle of the garden.
Don Luis María de las Casas Deza tells us that the french entered throuh thi door, on 7th of 1808: "...The french poited their
arms to the door but then they opened it without any efforts". In 1956 the statue of the Saint Raphael Archangel was restored by the García Rueda brothers who find out three bullets into the head of the saint. Curiously these bullets belonged to the french army. In 1999 the Rueda brothers restored the statue again and it was inaugurated in 2002 on Saint Raphael day.
Now we are going to explain another church: the Church of the Convent of Calced Carmelites, known as "Carmen of the New Door". The door is close to the Facultad of Derecho (Law School). It has not conserved the façade and you have to get into through the Gospel Door. The main façade had a roman arch and it was
flanked by two columns fnally ended by a triangular split up pediment. Much more simple is the evangelis door with a niche and the Virgin of Carmen inside it.
But we want to stop here to explain an altarpiece performed by a sevillian painter, a genius, Juan de Valdés Leal.
The altarpiece is crown by a painting representing the "Virgin of Carmen", that appears wrappeing in a cloak and with the help of various angels, some religious people. With the same composition is the "Virgen of Caves" performed by Francisco de Zumbarán in 1655. In both sides there are two paintings representing "Saint Acisclus" and "Saint Victory", saint patrons of the city. A little bit lower we find another painting, "Elias and the fire charriot": this one
represents Elias going down the sky, while he throws a lanza to Eliseus. He is flanked by two angels: "Saint Michael" and "Saint Raphael", this last one custody of the city. Lower we find two more paintings, "Elias and the Angel", in which the saint appears slept under the shadow of a tree while the angel goes down to give him water and bread and the other, "Elias confusing the prophets of Baal in the Calvary Mountain". Very close there are two more paintings: "the head of Saint John Baptist" and "Saint Paul Apostle". In the
lower part there are four saints disposed in couple: "Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi and Saint Agnes", on the link and on the right, "Saint Apollonia and the Blessed Jane Scopeli". These paintings are quite alike to Antonio del Castillo Saavedra‘s paintings.
From the general altarpiece I would like to spot the tremendous expressivity of the Angel that goes down the sky or the horses that seem to be disappearing in any time. It is a great luck to preserve this heritage of such high artistic quality. The pastor of the church told me not long ago: "masters of Granada or Seville come every month to explain to their students".
disappeared in 1895 and till the building of the Paseo de la Ribera Street; it was the entrance of the city through the named Royal Path. The door was put into the wall and it had a shoultered arch flanked by pillars that had a wainscot decorated with circular elements from which started a triangular pediment with a classic complex.
The origin of the New Door began in 1569, ad its building was motivated by the Philip II’s visit. Despite its disappearance in 1895 as many other doors and parts of
the wall, due to the enlargement of the city, this door is reminded three centuries later. Through it passed a lot of kings.
It is known that the fountain which decorates the Alpargate Garden, in Cristo de Gracia Square, was situated by this entrance. It was paid thanks to a bullfighting celerated in 1747 and the rest of the money was destinied for the triumph in the middle of the garden.
Don Luis María de las Casas Deza tells us that the french entered throuh thi door, on 7th of 1808: "...The french poited their
arms to the door but then they opened it without any efforts". In 1956 the statue of the Saint Raphael Archangel was restored by the García Rueda brothers who find out three bullets into the head of the saint. Curiously these bullets belonged to the french army. In 1999 the Rueda brothers restored the statue again and it was inaugurated in 2002 on Saint Raphael day.
Now we are going to explain another church: the Church of the Convent of Calced Carmelites, known as "Carmen of the New Door". The door is close to the Facultad of Derecho (Law School). It has not conserved the façade and you have to get into through the Gospel Door. The main façade had a roman arch and it was
flanked by two columns fnally ended by a triangular split up pediment. Much more simple is the evangelis door with a niche and the Virgin of Carmen inside it.
But we want to stop here to explain an altarpiece performed by a sevillian painter, a genius, Juan de Valdés Leal.
The altarpiece is crown by a painting representing the "Virgin of Carmen", that appears wrappeing in a cloak and with the help of various angels, some religious people. With the same composition is the "Virgen of Caves" performed by Francisco de Zumbarán in 1655. In both sides there are two paintings representing "Saint Acisclus" and "Saint Victory", saint patrons of the city. A little bit lower we find another painting, "Elias and the fire charriot": this one
represents Elias going down the sky, while he throws a lanza to Eliseus. He is flanked by two angels: "Saint Michael" and "Saint Raphael", this last one custody of the city. Lower we find two more paintings, "Elias and the Angel", in which the saint appears slept under the shadow of a tree while the angel goes down to give him water and bread and the other, "Elias confusing the prophets of Baal in the Calvary Mountain". Very close there are two more paintings: "the head of Saint John Baptist" and "Saint Paul Apostle". In the
lower part there are four saints disposed in couple: "Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi and Saint Agnes", on the link and on the right, "Saint Apollonia and the Blessed Jane Scopeli". These paintings are quite alike to Antonio del Castillo Saavedra‘s paintings.
From the general altarpiece I would like to spot the tremendous expressivity of the Angel that goes down the sky or the horses that seem to be disappearing in any time. It is a great luck to preserve this heritage of such high artistic quality. The pastor of the church told me not long ago: "masters of Granada or Seville come every month to explain to their students".
Text: J.A.S.C.
Traslated by Sara Moretti
Art, Culture and Tourism in Cordoba