Triunfo de San Rafael (Triumph of San Raphael), Cordoba

The Triumph of Saint Rafael of the Bridge Gate, is a monument is located on the Roman Bridge and stands next to the Mosque-Cathedral, overlooking the Guadalquivir River.

The history of the statue dates back to the 17th century, during a plague outbreak that hit Cordoba. According to legend, San Rafael appeared in a vision to Father Andrés de las Roelas and promised to save the city from the epidemic. When the plague subsided, there were reports of sightings of the archangel throughout the city, and he was named the eternal Custodian of Cordoba. To honor this miracle, several monuments were built in the city, including the Triunfo de San Rafael.

Construction of the Triumph of Saint Rafael began in 1765, and it was completed in 1871. The monument has a height of more than twenty-seven meters and is composed of a black marble base and column. The statue stands on a cushioned pedestal surrounded by columns rising from a castle, which, in turn, stands on a mountain with images of saints. The whole monument is adorned with animal figures and representations of the bountifulness of Cordoba’s soil.

The column has wide steps and crags, from which the water that represented the birth of the Guadalquivir had to come out. Black sculptures of Moors that represented the surrender of these to San Rafael, surrounded by shields. The statue was made in Rome and the rest was carved in Cordoba.

The Triunfo de San Rafael de la Puerta del Puente is one of many monuments to the archangel found throughout the city, usually bearing his symbols of the fish and the pumpkin. The monuments are typically placed on columns or pillars elevated on a pedestal.