Hospital de San Sebastián, Renaissance hospital building near Mosque-Cathedral, Córdoba, Spain.
Hospital de San Sebastián is a Renaissance building with a rectangular layout and central courtyard featuring tall rounded arches and Gothic ribbed vaults. It now houses the Congress Palace with exhibition spaces, and its church section operates as a Tourist Information Office.
Hernán Ruiz designed this facility between 1512 and 1516 on the site of a former Islamic-period ablution area. From 1816 to 1961 it transformed into a shelter for abandoned children.
The church inside shows how patients in the 1500s attended religious services as part of their healing, blending medical treatment with spiritual care. This connection between medicine and faith was central to how people understood recovery then.
Visitors can access the courtyard and church, with the Tourist Information Office providing guidance. It helps to check opening hours ahead of time since the building also serves as an active Congress venue.
The building preserves traces of its former role as Casa de los Expósitos, where abandoned children were raised from 1816 to 1961. This phase shows how institutions shifted their purpose over centuries to meet changing social needs.
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