Give classes near where they say Boabdil ‘The Boy’ He was arrested as Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba the “Great Captain” by one of his relatives. Or wander the corridors and galleries that lead to secret passages connected to the hills. Or visit the chapel presided over by one of the great works of the Sevillian painter Valdes Leal. And being able to climb the castle keep which was linked to one of the most important lineages of the Middle Ages in Andalusia. Or play on the fortress parade ground.
All this and much more is what the San José de las Reverenda Madres Escolapias school offers, integrated into the ancient castle of the Counts of Cabra, at the highest point of the ancient neighborhood of La Villa and transformed into a attractive tourist asset and educational center. center with over 125 years of experience.
This is the great particularity – among many others – of the Escolapias school (that’s what it is called) of Goatone of the rare (if not the only) cases of an educational center in a castle. With impressive views, in the heart of Subbética and Andalusia.
The castle of the Counts of Cabra was built by Muslims on Roman remains. was conquered by the king Ferdinand III ‘The Saint’ and it underwent different reforms in the Christian era, being of great importance in the war campaigns of Umar IBn Hafsum and the caliphs of Cordoba.
In this fortress he could live like a child Henry II of Castile and their domains ended up in the hands of Leonor de Guzmán for love. The Torre del Homenaje, its most distinctive structure, more than 20 meters high, was raised again in 1515.
The interior rooms of the San José RRMM Escolapias school present a series of historical episodes and corners with completely unique legends and passages. In the central courtyard of the educational center, where balls and school shows take place every end of the year, we can see the dungeon more than 20 meters high (above). Or you can taste one of the best Valdés Leal in its Capuchin Chapel (left). Or imagine Boabdil ‘El Chico’ locked in a room with Andalusian decoration inside the great tower.
The counts of Cabra transformed the castle into a residence from the 16th century, becoming in the following century a convent of Capuchin Franciscans, a monastery of which remains a cloister with beautiful Mudejar style arcades (one of the main courtyards of the school, as well as) . as well as a church, in which is preserved a work by Valdés Leal, “The Vision of San Francisco”, from 1672.
The Counts of Cabra are part of one of the most influential noble families in Andalusia. The title was created in 1455 by King Henry IV of Castile. The first indictment, Diego Fernández de Córdoba, stood out for his participation in the Reconquest and their contributions to the territorial expansion of the kingdom.
Over the centuries, the family of the Counts of Cabra was involved in important historical events: strategic matrimonial alliances and power conflicts that strengthened their position in the Spanish nobility.
In the middle of the 19th century, the castle was put up for sale due to the lack of financial resources of the Counts of Cabra. In 1899 the castle was purchased by an individual build a religious school for girls, since there was none in the region.
THE Piarist Mothers They receive the property and in the same year the educational center begins to operate. Today, they are celebrating their 125th anniversary without physically having nuns due to the lack of vocations, but they continue to belong to the order founded by Mother Paula Montal.
