Seemingly Quiet Places That Come Alive at Night
History has witnessed the construction of great works. Castles, convents, palace-like houses or hospitals are just a small sample of how Art History has left its mark on these buildings. Majestic yet mysterious places. It is for this reason that legend and history blend so much that sometimes it becomes impossible to distinguish between reality and fiction.
The large dimensions of these buildings, along with periods of poverty and need, forced their conversion into hospitals, prisons, etc. With such a diversity of uses and functions, their stories and legends take center stage, leaving aside the architectural grandeur of the place to focus on the events that occurred there, thus becoming legend.
Around the world, there are great historical works related to paranormal phenomena, strange noises, objects moving by themselves, feeling accompanied, inexplicable cold currents... This article will focus on the city of Córdoba and its historic places where inexplicable and terrifying events have taken place. Ghosts, souls in torment, tragedies or spirits are just a small sample of the history these great buildings in Córdoba hold. We are about to embark on a journey through these historical constructions and their paranormal events. Are you up for it? Let's begin.
THE CASTLE OF THE CHRISTIAN KINGS
This military complex dates back to the 14th century, specifically to the year 1328, when King Alfonso XI ordered its construction (Salcedo, 1975: 23). It was a prison for the Holy Office Tribunal and a residence of the Catholic Monarchs among other uses. In the 16th century, one of the religious inquisitors there named Alonso de Tamarón had a secret relationship with one of the jailers: María de Medina. To ensure she wouldn't betray him, he unjustly condemned her to be burned at the stake. Out of her mind and bound, her last cry before dying was: «I will return Tamarón! I swear I will return!». Not long after, on a full moon night, while the inquisitor was in his office, he felt a cold hand resting on his shoulder, and when he turned around, he saw the completely charred figure of María de Medina. Tamarón died instantly.
Since that event, legend has it that during full moon nights, a shadow wanders through the halls of the Castle. The question is: who will it be? Alonso de Tamarón or María de Medina?
THE MALTOWER
Where this tower currently stands, there was a palace built in the year 1405 where Ruy Gutiérrez and Luz de Cabrera lived. The young woman had several suitors but remained faithful to her husband. One of them, the most persistent, named Luis Sánchez, took advantage of one of Ruy's absences to seduce and harass the young Luz. Meanwhile, an anonymous letter arrived for Ruy. It said that his wife was being unfaithful with a squire who kept a knife in the palace hall to kill him if he appeared there. Ruy rushed back to his palace where his wife was alone but already out of his mind. He killed her with that knife. Later, he realized his mistake and confessed it to King Henry III at the time, who said that his wife had been badly murdered and in her honor should tear down her palace and build a tower there.
Since then, it is said that Doña Luz's ghost has been seen by residents of the place.
THE LAW SCHOOL
The current school has a long history. It consists of several attached buildings, the second one being the oldest: the former Convento del Carmen, built in 1542. The complex was converted at the beginning of the 20th century into a maternity and children's hospital and during the Civil War it became a military hospital before finally becoming a university campus in the early 1980s. Shortly after, the first tragedy occurred: a professor died suddenly of a heart attack while teaching classes. Several witnesses claimed to have seen him days later entering the bathroom, but when they went to look for him incredulously about what they had seen, no one was there: the bathroom was empty.
One of the most popular stories in this center is that students, maintenance staff, cleaning personnel or security guards among many others claim to have felt watched despite believing they were completely alone. A female figure dressed in blood-stained clothes, tall, barefoot, emaciated and with dark hair was found behind them. She advances slowly towards the people as if she were about to collide with them, yet when a meter away from them, the figure vanishes. In the current cafeteria, glasses move by themselves, food falls off shelves and even tiles jump off walls and fall to the ground, in other parts of the building photocopiers work non-stop without being plugged in... doors open and close on their own. These events are just a small sample of all the energy that exists in this mysterious place.
THE ORIVE PALACE
This mysterious palace was built in 1560 by Hernán Ruiz II. As headquarters of the Cultural Delegation of the City Council, numerous people responsible for its maintenance have heard knocks coming from the basement as if someone were trapped and asking for help, but... The Orive Palace has no basement. This palace's history dates back to the 16th century when it was home to the Ucel and Guimbarda family, consisting of Don Carlos (a widower and corregidor of Córdoba) and his daughter Blanca. On a family outing during "the Velá" at Fuensanta, a disheveled gypsy woman with one eye white took Blanca by the hand and foretold her a dark future «lit by a candle». Don Carlos, seeing his daughter's terror, reprimanded the gypsy who warned him to be careful about his daughter's fate.
Years passed and the memory of the gypsy's curse did not fade. On a rainy night, five unexpected guests, Jewish men with long white beards and black robes spent the night in one of the palace rooms. Motivated by curiosity, Blanca spied on them through her door keyhole. Lit only by a candle and sitting in a circle, one of them recited a phrase repeatedly in an unknown language to Blanca while the others followed with rosaries in their hands. Suddenly silence fell. One of the Jews placed his hand on the floor which cracked open revealing an underground entrance previously unknown. He went down some stairs and returned shortly after with a young man carrying a chest full of treasures. The Jews kept the chest, forcing the boy to return through the hole he had come out of. The candle went out and the young man disappeared.
Blanca was horrified and told everything to her caretaker Diana. A few days later, the two women, in search of the boy, pieced together the remains of the candle, lit it again, and were astounded when they saw that the hole reopened. Blanca did not hesitate to go down while Diana stayed watching the candle. Blanca went far inside as the candle burned out; Diana tried to warn her to hurry up but she was too far away. She turned around wanting to leave but a dark figure stopped her: the gypsy woman. The candle went out and the hole closed, leaving Blanca trapped forever under the floor of her home.
Since then, neighbors in the area claim that at night they can see through the palace windows the shadow of a white lady walking down the halls, lighting her path with a candle along with flashes of lights turning on in the middle of the night.
THE DANCE CONSERVATORY
This 17th-century manor house was known as the Palace of the Counts of Quemadas, also known as the Fernández de Mesa family. Its main door is topped with the family coat of arms and it is now a school whose classrooms are shrouded in legend. Where the current Room 5 stands, a shoemaker nicknamed "Nono", overwhelmed by debts, took his own life by hanging.
According to legend, since that moment, his soul wanders through the palace halls. Security guards of the building and students from the school claim to have seen the shoemaker, a man with a hat and cloak whose face leaves one breathless. Behind him are heard sounds of broken glass, doors opening, whispers or footsteps.
In the mid-1990s during a dance class, an event occurred that still gives chills to this day when remembered. During a rehearsal, knocks on the wall were heard, music stopped and lights went out. Trying to downplay it, they turned the music back on and relit the lights. But the knocking on the walls became incessant and deafening, the music stopped again, the lights went off and the blinds suddenly dropped, leaving the class in absolute darkness and silence except for the inexplicable knocks.
THE FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY AND LETTERS
Once again we find ourselves before a building from the early 18th century, specifically from 1701, whose main door is topped by the coat of arms in this case of Cardinal Salazar. Built by the bishop and cardinal of Córdoba, he intended to use it as a school for children's choir. However, the building never became such a school because during an epidemic period, the space was donated and converted into the Hospital Cardenal Salazar. Since then uninterruptedly it has been used to treat sick people, lunatics and prisoners during epidemics, cholera or wars. The sad fate of this building along with testimonies from many people turns the current faculty into a place as interesting as mysterious.
As headquarters for the university, one night on guard duty, a security officer heard noises upstairs. When he went up, he found a child dressed in old clothes running down the hall until suddenly disappearing. Unexplained sounds, whispers, apparitions of supposed hospital patients, lights turning on and off or voices calling for help are just samples of the phenomena that have occurred there. Córdoba is a hot city in summer but cleaning staff has noticed cold gusts of air in May that froze their blood when they saw it brought with it the figure of a man whose face was marked by smallpox.
CONCLUSIONS
Córdoba's history is reflected in its streets. The great buildings of the city of three cultures tell the story of the place. In this article, only a small sample of mysteries, stories and legends that have taken place in the city has been compiled. As seen, some stories date back to the 16th century. However, today there are still testimonies that claim that in these places there is much more life beyond death. Mystery and great architectural constructions have gone hand in hand throughout history. Austria, Japan, Italy, Canada... Every place in the world hides great works wrapped in a halo of legend. Would you dare to visit any of these places?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Salcedo Hierro, M. (1975). The Castle of the Christian Kings of Córdoba. Editorial Everest.
Ramírez de Arellano y Gutiérrez, T. (1973): Strolls through Córdoba. Librería Luque-Editorial Everest.
Cano Mauvesin, J. M. (2007): Córdoba of Legend: Stories and Legends of Córdoba. Editorial Almuzara.
Morales Gajete, J. M. (2013): Secret Guide to Haunted Houses in Córdoba. Editorial Almuzara.
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