Province
and Villages - Cordoba - Sierra
Córdoba information
The Sierra Morena of Córdoba
The large northern area of the province of Córdoba
is take up entirely by the Sierra Morena and has regions steeped
in character such as that of Los Pedroches. The countryside
abounds in meadows and oak woods and in parts is dark and
grey with granite. The villages also offer a sharp contrast
between the hardness of the granite and the softness of the
lime. Hinojosa del Duque, as an example, has a very large
parish church, the Gothic-Reniassance San Juan Bautista, which
is of cathedral - like dimensions and a Mudéjar stuccoed
ceiling and Baroque altar-piece. This church is justly considered
the best religious building in this region.
In the same region, Belalcázar is surprising for its medieval
castle "de los Sotomayor" and its parish churches
like that of Santiago. In Torrecampo we can admire the casino,
which was once a site of the Inquisition and the Moor's Dwelling
- a characteristic building with some excellent picture collections
-, as well as the parish of San Sebastián. The regional
capital - previously Pedroche - which is famous for tis cheeses
and possesses and elegant parish tower, is Pozoblanco. It
is an acitve, farming town, with both agrarian and livestock
farming. The surrounding countryside combines pastureland
with olive groves and even vineyards. Its parish churches
such as Santa Catalina and San Sebastián are large.
There is small museum which displays moments of the famous
local baritone, Marcos Redondo. The festive calendar is very
varied and includes many pilgrimages like that of the Virgen
de la Luna in Pozoblanco and also many amateur bullfights
which take place in various locations including El Viso.
Adjoining Extremadura lies another part of Cordoba's Sierra
Morena. It was previously a mining region and today, the mines
still dominate the landscape. Here we can find mythical villages
such as Fuente Obejuna which has many lovely buildings including
the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Castillo, and
where the modern architecture from the early XX century can
also be seen. In Belmez, the castle, which is built on a rock,
is impressive. The centr of the old coal-field is Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo.
This region is ideal for hunting, fresh-water fishing, and
climbing. A good example is Hornachuelos with its enclosed
pastures, reservoirs , fields of cork trees and brooks. Not
far away we meet up again with the history when we come to
the monastery of Santa María de los Ángeles
where the Duke of Rivas set his romantic drama "Don Alvaro
o la fuerza del sino".
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