The Hospital de la Caridad dates back to the beginning of the 15th century and to the Hermandad de la Caridad, founded by Cordovan nobles to provide assistance to the sick and dying without resources.
The Brotherhood enjoyed great prestige in its day. To join it, one had to show proof of belonging to the nobility. The position of elder brother of the brotherhood was one of the most coveted honorary posts in the city.
The construction of the Hospital changed the appearance of the square. From the 15th century, the Hospital de la Caridad preserves the chapel, the staircase and the courtyard. The main façade of the chapel, in Gothic style, today overlooks the square. At the beginning of the 19th century, the brotherhood and the hospital were dissolved and the Provincial Council acquired the building.
In 1865 it became the Library and Museum and later the School of Fine Arts. Today, the former Hospital de la Caridad is still a space dedicated to art: the Fine Arts Museum and the Julio Romero Torres Museum.
Although its walls contain paintings by Italian Renaissance masters, its main and most numerous collections are from the Baroque period and the 19th century. Works by Bartolomé Bermejo, Luis de Morales, Valdés Leal, Ribera, Zurbarán, Murillo, Antonio del Castillo and the Cordovan sculptor Mateo Inurria stand out.
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