1. Home
  2. Spain
  3. Córdoba
  4. Mysteries & legends

Córdoba · Mysteries & legends

Lanterns, archangels and a sleepless queen

Córdoba keeps its legends in small squares and lanes that light up as evening falls. This route runs down from Plaza de Capuchinos to the Guadalquivir and the Mosque, separating at each stop what the documents say from what people have told for centuries. Do it at dusk: it ends beside the taverns of the Jewish quarter, just in time for dinner.

  • 5 stops
  • 2.3 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The Christ of the Lanterns, a white marble crucifix surrounded by eight lanterns above a railing, in Plaza de Capuchinos

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Christ of the LanternsA marble crucifix ringed by eight lanterns, in Córdoba’s most secluded square.
  2. 2 Plaza del PotroThe square of rogues and muleteers that Cervantes mentioned in Don Quixote.
  3. 3 Triumph of St RaphaelThe archangel who, according to tradition, swore to be Córdoba’s guardian.
  4. 4 Albolafia MillA waterwheel that appears on Córdoba’s coat of arms and that, records show, Isabella the Catholic had dismantled.
  5. 5 Calleja del PañueloCórdoba’s narrowest street, as tight as an unfolded handkerchief.

Loading the map…

Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Lanterns, archangels and a sleepless queen

Devotion by lantern light

A marble Christ that seems to float in the half-light of a convent square after dark.

Córdoba’s guardian

The archangel who, tradition says, swore to protect the city and who still watches over it from columns and bridges.

Stories with small print

The waterwheel the queen ordered stopped and the lane as wide as a handkerchief, between record and hearsay.

Keep exploring

More routes in Córdoba

Back to Córdoba
HistoryFrom Corduba to the Caliphate: twenty centuries in one walk MixedThe best of Córdoba: from the Corredera to the patios

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Córdoba?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Córdoba in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Córdoba in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Córdoba in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary