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I know what you may be thinking: that a cloister refers to a Christian building. However let us take another approach to the term, a more figurative yet literal one. The dictionary says that a cloister is a courtyard with arcade galleries at each one of its four sides, and it is constructed next to one of the naves of the temple.
Zorba, the Greek character from that Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel, used to say that “the shape influences the color a flower takes; the color affects the characteristics of a flower. As a result, each flower has a distinct power over the body and the soul of a man”.
They call the Viana Palace the doorway to the Patios, but also the Patios Palace or the Patios Museum, and not without sound reasons. This gem of a Córdoba Palace is the result of 500 years of continuous acquisitions of the surrounding buildings to enlarge the Palace. That alone gave us 12 wonderful out-of-this-world patios each one presenting a different personality.
Trevor Haddon might possibly be the last romantic traveler to draw the city of Córdoba. There is but a few lines on this British artist in the Wikipedia (there is nothing as far as Spanish goes):
Grids and Balconies contest.
In a way the popularity of the Córdoba May Patio Festival has outshone a very important part of this popular contest. Along with the Patio Festival is also held the Popular Contest of Córdoba's Grids and Balconies.
Inscribed in 2012 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Fiesta of the Patios in Córdoba brings us every spring the rejuvenated essence of the city, with its traditional joie de vivre.
