Festival of Patios in Cordoba

The Festival of Patios in Cordoba is an event in Cordoba, held every May. Therefore, the Aricle Festival of Patios in Cordoba will show you why you should visit it.

©eventourcordoba.es

A short intro into the Festival of Patios in Cordoba

Córdoba is the city with the most beautiful courtyards in Spain. Furthermore, the Festival de Patios always takes place at the beginning of May after celebrating the May Crosses.

For 12 days, the locals open the doors to their private courtyards decorated with flowers. And nothing is left to chance, even the flowers traditionally watered with a long stick and tin can.

All year round, the participants are busy making their courtyards as beautiful as possible. They plant flowers, arrange furniture, and passionately integrate decorative elements.

So, this all results in the Patios Festival – one of the most beautiful festivals in Andalusia.

History of the Patios

The court culture in Cordoba goes back to the time of the ancient Roman and Moorish occupations. The Arabs brought the colors and scents to the city. More importantly, they built houses around the courtyard—colors to escape the summer heat.

The Patios Festival started in 1918. It originates in the old tradition of spending the mild summer nights in Andalusia with friends and neighbors in the inner courtyard.

Most importantly, the festival is part of the list of UNESCO´s Intangible Heritage of Humanity, demonstrating “an integral part of this city’s cultural heritage.”

Viana Palace

©EL DÍA

What are patios?

A patio or a courtyard in English is an outdoor space in a house that provides lighting and ventilation to the other rooms. In addition, its accessible location makes it a communal area, the center of family life.

Due to the hot, dry Cordoban climate, the citizens – first the Romans and later the Moslems – adjusted the typical design of the house to their needs, making the home center around an inner courtyard (patio), commonly with a fountain in the middle. The Moors made further adjustments, giving the house an entrance from the street, which passed through a porch, and filling the courtyard with plants to provide the sensation of freshness.

©Roberto Ruiz

Types of patios

Since each courtyard has unique architecture (the product of various historical evolutions), establishing typologies is difficult. However, in general, the yards are divided into two primary groups:

Monumental and stately courtyards:

These patios belonged to the aristocracy or went part of a religious building. Prime examples are the Patio de los Naranjos outside the Mezquita or the Palacio de Viana. The Palacio has twelve courtyards, each with a distinct architectural style.

Competition yards:

All the courtyards that have participated in the municipal competition since its beginning until the present are competition yards or patios. At the same time, we can further divide them into two competition categories: courtyards with old architecture and courtyards with modern or renovated architecture.

Calleja de las Flores

©elmundo.es

Where are they?

The typical district is the Alcázar Viejo neighborhood, between the Alcázar and San Basilio. Around the Mosque-Cathedral are stunning old examples of courtyards in the old Jewish quarter. One of the most beautiful courtyards is in the Palace of Viana.