Fernan Nuñez

Palacio Ducal in  Fernan Nuñez © Michelle Chaplow
The Palacio Ducal in the town of Fernan Nuñez.

FERNAN NUÑEZ

by Saskia Mier

Fernán Núñez is surrounded by rolling hills, cereal fields and olive groves. It has roughly 9.600 inhabitants and is home to the famous Palacio Ducal.

HISTORY

Fernán Núñez, is built on the site of the Roman town of Ulia. During the Muslim period, the area belonged to the Cordovan Cora. The area was later conquered by King Fernando III in 1240. Captain Fernán Núñez de Témez seized one of the Muslim defensive towers, Aben Hana. More>

THINGS TO SEE

Palacio Ducal
The Palace was built between 1783 and 1787 on the ruins of “el castillo”, which had suffered serious damage during the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The Ducal Palace was important to the village, not just for the Palace itself but also the other buildings that made up the square, such as schools, mills, stables, and warehouses. A highlight of the Palacio Ducal areits two towers. A number of canons were captured from the ship of an English Admiral, Robert Blake, when he besieged Cádiz in 1657 by the 3rd Duke of FernanNuñez. These are now embedded in the tower’s wall and used, rather incongruously as waterspouts. At the back, its terraced gardens, the Parque Llano de Fuentes, boast a seventeenth century fountain called, Los Caños Dorados. Located in Plaza de Armas.

Iglesia de Santa Marina de Aguas Santas
The present church dates from the eighteenth century and was built on the remains of an earlierchurch that was built shortly after 1385. This simple church was attached to the fortress of Fernán Núñez which became a ruin around 1724. The bell tower was originally one of the towers of the fortress which is why it looks rather out of place. The church has a golds and silverware collection with pieces made between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. Located on Calle Romero de Torres.

Ermita Hospital de la Caridad
This chapel was founded in 1525, due to Don Juan Criado, for the hospitality of pilgrims travelling to Santiago on the southern route. It later became a Hospital for orphans and the poor. According to tradition, the bell was found by Don Juan Criado when he desperately sought help for the construction of the hospital. This bell is believed to have originally belonged to another church in the nearby village of Abencalez. The Ermita Hospital de la Caridad was burnt down in 1936 during the Civil War, but later restored. Located on Calle Escultor Francisco Bonilla.

Ermita de San Sebastián
The chapel was built in 1860 on the site of an earlier ruined hermitage. Currently guarded by an imposing crucified Christ, the work of Juan Polo. Located on Calle San Sebstián, within the walls of the municipal cemetery.

Triunfo a Santa Marina
On the corner of the main square stands a strange monument. Its construction began in 1816 with the relocating of the large stone pedestal that had stood in front of Iglesia de Santa Marina. The stone column is thought to be Roman. Some years later a statue of Santa Marinawas placed on top of the column in the newly created Plaza Egido. It was inaugurated on January 6, 1842.The fourth style, iron railings and four angels, paid for by popular subscription by local artist Juan María Vargas. Located in the now renamed Plaza Triunfo Santa Marina.

Iglesia de la Vera Cruz
An earlier hermitage church from the sixteenth century once stood on this site. A church was constructed here in the eighteenth century by Ana Francisca de los Rios, Countess Widow of Fernán Núñez. After being destroyed in a fire during the Civil War, the church was rebuilt, but collapsed in 1957. In 1960 the fourth church was built by Carlos Sáenz de Santamaría. Located on Calle Ángel Espejo.

Nitrate de Chile
Nitrate de Chile is a classic advertisement that has become a historic and cultural element and cultural curiosity. There are only a few remaining in Andalucia. Read the story about Nitrate de Chile. This rare example is located on an the end wall of a private house facing traffic entering the village from the north. Avenida Juan Carlos I, 8.Google Street View

THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE

Ermita del Calvario
The chapel dates to 1721, where it was founded by, Francisco Gutiérrez de los Ríos, and the Arroyo family who contributed financially to its construction. Located off the N-331.

HANDICRAFTS

Local handicrafts include bobbin lace, ceramics and miniature wood carvings.

GASTRONOMY

When visiting Fernán Núñez try their local gastronomic dishes such as sopa de maimones (named after the twelfth century Jewish doctor-philosopher Maimonides, who was from Córdoba, and who recommended “Jewish penicillin” for its curative properties), salmorejo (tomato and garlic soup served with boiled egg and ham) and patatas con bacalao (potato with cod). Sweet treats include dobladitas (sweet potato cakes), magdalenas (sponge cakes), orejitas (honey pastries), piononos (pine-nut pastries) and sopaipa (fried dough with honey).

The consumption of wines belonging to the Montilla-Moriles denomination is very widespread, with predominance of sweet wines.Fernán Núñez is part of theWine region of Montilla-Moriles.Those wishing to explore the Montilla-Moriles wine region should follow the A-45 motorway between Cordoba and Antequera to visit the villages of Fernán Núñez, Montemayor, La Rambla , Montilla, Aguilar de la Frontera, Morilles, Puente Genil and Lucena.

FESTIVALS

Festivals that are popular in Fernán Núñez are Cabalgata Reyes Magos, Carnaval, Semana Santa, Romería de San Isidro and Feria Real More>

NEARBY PLACES

The neighbouring villages to Fernán Núñez are Montemayor, Córdoba and San Sebastián de los Ballesteros.

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