Marquis of Sobremonte Museum, a colonial house in Córdoba
The Marquis of Sobremonte Provincial Historical Museum fills an 18th-century colonial house in the commercial centre of Córdoba, with a corner balcony, five patios and twenty-six rooms. It is one of the best hidden gems in Córdoba beyond its churches: a manor house that still stands and keeps its original furniture.
A governor who later became viceroy lived in this corner house, and one source says he took refuge here when the British attacked Buenos Aires. Today, among patios and lime-and-stone walls, it keeps colonial Córdoba's daily life.
The history of the Marquis of Sobremonte Museum
The house was begun in 1752 by the Spanish merchant José Rodríguez, its first owner and builder. Sources differ on how long the work took: one speaks of eight years, until 1760, another of around twenty. What is certain is that it was conceived both as a manor house and as a place of business, a very typical combination in the colonial city.
Between 1783 and the mid-1790s the house was rented by Rafael de Sobremonte, the Marquis of Sobremonte, who was then governor-intendant of Córdoba del Tucumán and later became the highest authority of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. According to one source, during the first British invasion the viceroy withdrew to Córdoba to save the treasury of the Viceroyalty.
That retreat has been judged very differently. Many people in Buenos Aires saw it as an act of cowardice, whereas in Córdoba he is remembered as the official who followed his instructions: to fall back inland in the face of a better-armed invader and organise the counter-offensive from there. In the province Sobremonte also enjoys a good reputation for his municipal work and for the progress he encouraged in the city.
In 1919, on the initiative of Monsignor Pablo Cabrera, the provincial government bought the property to set up the Colonial Historical Museum. In 1941 the house was declared a National Historic Monument and the museum took the name it bears today.
The building keeps its original character. It has two floors, five patios and twenty-six rooms and is built mostly of calicanto, a lime-and-stone masonry. The ground-floor walls are of mixed stone and brick, a metre thick, and end in vaulted ceilings. The corner was left without a bevel to respect the integrity of the house, and above the projecting balcony an eave covered in “muslera” tiles juts out.
Curious facts about the Sobremonte Museum
- The corner of the house never had a bevelled edge: the 90-degree angle was respected, with two floors and a continuous corner balcony.
- “Muslera” tiles were traditionally made using the thigh of the craftsmen as a mould, often people held in slavery.
- The entrance passage is decorated with comb-shaped ornaments (peinetones) on its vault, and the projecting balcony rests on carved wooden brackets.
- According to the English Wikipedia, it is the only house of its period preserved in present-day Córdoba.
- The ground-floor walls are a metre thick and end in vaulted ceilings.
- Rafael de Sobremonte enjoys a different reputation in Córdoba from the one he has in other Argentine provinces, because of his work running the city.
Tours near Marquis of Sobremonte Provincial Historical Museum
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting the Marquis of Sobremonte Museum
- Check the current opening days and hours before you go.
- Inside there is a chapel, the main patio of honour and the collections of Wolf and of Monsignor Pablo Cabrera.
- The collections include antique weapons, American paintings, religious imagery and furniture showing everyday life in colonial times.
- Public concerts are often held in the patio and in some rooms.
- The museum stands in the commercial centre of Córdoba, a few blocks from the Cabildo and the Cathedral.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Marquis of Sobremonte Provincial Historical Museum is
Photos of Marquis of Sobremonte Provincial Historical Museum
Questions
What is the Marquis of Sobremonte Museum in Córdoba?
It is a provincial historical museum in an 18th-century colonial house, a National Historic Monument since 1941. It is named after Rafael de Sobremonte, who lived in it as governor-intendant.
Who built the house of the Marquis of Sobremonte?
The Spanish merchant José Rodríguez began it in 1752. He was its first owner and builder.
When did Sobremonte live in this house?
He rented it from 1783 until the mid-1790s, while he was governor-intendant of Córdoba del Tucumán.
What can you see in the museum?
A chapel, the patio of honour, collections of antique weapons, American paintings, religious imagery and period furniture. Five patios and twenty-six rooms survive.
Since when has the house been a museum?
Since 1919, when the provincial government bought it on the initiative of Monsignor Pablo Cabrera to create the Colonial Historical Museum.
Where is the Marquis of Sobremonte Museum?
In the commercial centre of Córdoba, on a street corner, near the Cabildo and the Cathedral.
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