Santa Eufemia

Santa Eufemia – Pedroches Region

Santa Eufemia is the northern most town in the province of Cordoba, in the Comarca of Los Pedroches, limited to the north by the province of Ciudad Real, to the south and west by El Viso and to the east by Dos Torres and the province of Ciudad Real. It comes under the jurisdiction of Pozoblanco.

The oldest remains found in the santaeufemiano municipality date from the Neolithic era. All findings collected in Santa Eufemia give a basis to ensure the presence of man in this comarca (region) by the year 2000 or even 3000 BC. Santa Eufemia has roots in the Celtic people of Indo-European origin, who arrived in the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees. The land on which is located the present population centre was a major Roman settlement by the use of several causeways. The current village was founded by the Arabs. In 1155 it was conquered by Alfonso VIII, but fell back into Muslim hands on his death. In 1243 it became dependent upon Cordoba for sixty years, later to be given to Hernando Diaz Carrillo, first Marquis of La Guardia.

In the early sixteenth century Ferdinand ordered the demolition of its fortress in punishment for the excesses of the Marquis. It was under Roman rule when it reached an important development, as evidenced by its abundant archaeological remains. Of these it is worth noting the Sepulchral (Sepulchre) which appeared in the vicinity of the Ermita de la Santa.

Guarded by the medieval fortress of Miramontes on an escarpment, the northernmost town in Andalucia stands guard over this gateway to Castilla, still dreaming of the expansionist glory of its former masters, whose patronage still lingers in that parroquia (parish church) on the unique buttresses. There are narrow twisting old streets, among which survives the splendid Puerta de la Villa, constructed of cyclopean stones.

Probably the Christian conquerors in the twelfth century would have given the name of Santafimia or Santa Eufemia to the Muslim castle here, which was then known as Sant Quniyah or Sant Fumiyah. It was to be after the final conquest by Ferdinand III, in 1243, in the municipality of Córdoba, that fifty years later, at the suggestion of Sancho IV, the lands and estates were given to the city mayor Fernando Diaz, as a reward for his help in the conquest of some cordovan towns then in the hands of Prince John.

Contentious was the mandate of Pedro Carrillo in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth by the many and various confrontations; with the villages remaining unappropriated by Los Pedroches, motivated by its expansionist ambitions. In the modern age, Santa Eufemia remained part of the manor of that name, in the comarca which also held El Viso, El Guijo and Torrefranca, with repeated clashes because of land seizure, which ended in mutual agreement in 1631.

Santa Eufemia Monuments

Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation
Santa Eufemia Chapel
Virgen de las Cruces Chapel
Castillo de Miramontes (Castle)
Las Muralles
Castillo de Vioque (Castle)

Santa Eufemia Gastronomy

Relleno. White garlic. Marinated chicken. Pickled sheep tails. Sweets: Doughnuts. Torcíos. Roscas.

Directions

• From Cordoba: N-432 to the junction of Espiel and N-502 to Santa Eufemia through Alcaracejos and El Viso.
• From Badajoz: CO-450 from Monterrubio de la Serena to Belalcázar and CP-236 to Santa Eufemia. A-420 from Cabeza de Buey up to Belalcázar and CP-236 to Santa Eufemia.
• From Ciudad Real: N-502-Avila Córdoba passing through Santa Eufemia.

Distances from the town

El Viso 15 km
Cordoba 97 km
Almaden 28 km
Pedroche 26 km
Belalcázar 28 km
Pozoblanco 30 km
Torrecampo 29 km
Almadenejos 40 km
Almodóvar del Campo 91 km