Main staircase from the main courtyard in Viana Palace, Cordoba (Spain)

Main Staircase

        From the Main Courtyard, to which we have to come back, we enter the MainMain Staircase Staircase from one of its corners. It is made in stones at the end of the XVI Century, and it is conserved in a perfect state. It is composed by two parts clearly differentiated with landing, in the middle, stainding out a balustrade, decorated with geometrical elements such as the rhombs or the circles like in that moments it was used. In the crossing of the balustades there are two parts, with a void in the middle, that was used by the author in order to put the shield that belongs to the Saavedra family.
        The entrance to the nobel zones of the palace is put between two roman arches put on a column, plain and with toscani capitalMain Staircase, this is on a little balustrade decorated with serlians, a roman arch flanked by two shouldered ones; in this case the serlians are completed by three ovals on every ones of them. For this reason theCover of the Main Staircase collaboration of the architect Juan de Ochoa was needed, in fact it is a decoration used in other occasions, like the ones of the Círculo de la Amistad (Friendship Circle). The staircase is covered by a marvellous ceiling with fine mudejar ribbons. Are also well conserved and its center has to be stood out, it is made with golden wood with mocarabes (a typical nazari decoration with prisms), and from which a marvellous lamp is hanging which illuminate the stairs.
        In the wall of the landing there is a hanged rug, and besides axes keeper, a chest and a muslim column, with its base and a capital. This rich staircase symbolize the transition between the flowered patios (courts) of the city and the luxurious lounges of the upstairs part.

Text: J.A.S.C.

Traslated by Sara Moretti