Church of San Lorenzo, the Fernandine church with the great Gothic-Mudejar rose window

The church stands on the site of the former mosque of al-Mugira. A tombstone found in 1884 documents its foundation and places the minaret in the year 300 of the Islamic calendar, by order of the mother of Prince Almugira. After the conquest of Córdoba by Ferdinand III the Saint, the building passed into Christian hands and became, like the rest of the Fernandine churches, a parish of the new city.

The construction of the current church, in Gothic-Mudejar style, is dated between 1244 and 1300; in 1272 an investment of ten maravedís for the works is recorded. The tower is much later: it was built in 1555 over the old minaret under the direction of Hernán Ruiz II, the same architect as the cathedrals of Córdoba and Seville, and is considered a precedent of the Giralda.

The church suffered a fire in 1687 that damaged much of its interior. In 1929 three arches of the façade that had been bricked up were recovered, and the restoration of 1963 gave the building back much of its original Gothic-Mudejar appearance. Since 1985, the Church of San Lorenzo has been listed as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the monument category.

The visit takes little more than half an hour, but the church brings together pieces from several different centuries. These are the four stops worth not overlooking.

The element that identifies the Church of San Lorenzo from the square is its Gothic-Mudejar rose window, set in the upper gable of the façade above a porch of three pointed arches, unusual among the Fernandine churches of Córdoba. Beneath that porch open three doors giving access to the church's three naves, and the ensemble is considered one of the best-preserved compositions of 13th-century Cordoban Mudejar architecture.

The tower, 26 metres high, was built in 1555 on the base of the minaret of the old mosque of al-Mugira, under the direction of Hernán Ruiz II. It is one of the tallest towers in Córdoba and can be climbed from inside, after more than a hundred steps, with views of the Cathedral, San Pablo, San Andrés and the monument of the Triumph of Saint Raphael.

The bell tower was restored in 2008 and its visits, managed by the parish itself, run from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00 every day, with the possibility of arranging visits outside those hours, including at night, on 957 47 62 49.

The chancel keeps Italo-Gothic mural paintings from the 14th century with scenes from the life of Christ, rare in the city's Fernandine churches. In the Chapel of the Sagrario the image of the Virgen de Villaviciosa, from the late 16th century, is venerated, together with a seated Christ from the same century, on a Baroque altarpiece from the 18th century by Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo and Manuel del Río.

The image of Nuestro Padre Jesús del Calvario, titular of the brotherhood founded in this very church in 1722, was carved by the Discalced Trinitarian Fray Juan de la Concepción and blessed in the Episcopal Palace in 1724 by Bishop Marcelino Siuri. Since August 1727 it has occupied its own chapel within the church, with a gilded altarpiece presided over by the carving and crowned by the figure of Saint Roch.

The Church of San Lorenzo is part of the Fernandine Churches Route, which can be visited with the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba ticket at no extra cost. The official hours of the route are 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 18:00 in winter, and 9:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 19:00 in summer.

As it is a church with active worship, hours may vary on dates of liturgical celebrations or during Holy Week, so it is worth confirming them before your visit. The tower is visited separately, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00.

The Church of San Lorenzo is in Plaza de San Lorenzo, in the heart of the Axerquía district, within the Fernandine Churches Route, which can be covered in a morning.

For those who prefer not to organise the itinerary themselves, the simplest way to see San Lorenzo together with the other Fernandine churches is within a guided visit of the historic centre, with someone placing each church in context on the ground.

The Free Tour of Córdoba covers the historic centre in about 2 hours, with a voluntary tip of between 10 and 15 euros per person, and is the most flexible way to discover churches such as San Lorenzo without committing to a fixed timetable in advance.

It is the option that best suits a church somewhat off the usual Mosque itinerary, and lets you clear up questions about its history and its neighbouring Fernandine churches as you go.