What to see and visit in Villafranca de Córdoba

Hermitage of Padre Jesús

The Hermitage of Jesús Nazareno, also known as the Hermitage of Padre Jesús, is an 18th-century temple located in Villafranca de Córdoba. Originally dedicated to Saint Anne, it adopted its current dedication after the founding of the Brotherhood of Jesús Nazareno.

The building consists of a single nave with a gable roof. The presbytery area is topped with a dome on pendentives decorated with richly molded plasterwork, characteristic of the 17th century. The main entrance, also from that period, is lintelled and crowned by fragments of a pediment finished with pyramid-shaped ornaments. A simple belfry with a small bell crowns the façade.

Inside, the highlight is the presbytery altarpiece, crafted in plaster and lavishly polychromed in ochre, red, and blue tones. The hermitage also houses paintings of Saint Michael and Saint Denis, as well as the Nazareno Cross, made of mahogany with silver edges, created in 1885.

The image of Our Father Jesús Nazareno, venerated in this hermitage, is a wooden processional sculpture painted in oils, representing Jesus carrying the cross. It is one of the most beloved devotional figures among the faithful of Villafranca.

Information sourced from the blog “Historia gráfica de Villafranca” by Joaquín Priego.