Fair and Festivities in honor of Our Lady of Health in Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain

The Fair of Our Lady of Health, better known as the Fair of Cordoba, is a fair held in Cordoba, Spain during the last week of May.

Like most fairs, it has its origins in the times of the Castilian conquest. In 1284, King Sancho IV granted the privilege to the Council of Cordoba so that a livestock fair could be held twice a year, starting one on the day of Lent and the other on the first day of Lent, each one lasting fifteen days. In the year 1422, the fair of Cincuesma began to be celebrated with fixed character in the first days of May. In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs confirmed the celebration of both fairs, the first day of Lent and the first day of May. In 1556, Philip II confirmed the royal privilege granted by King Sancho II.

In the year 1665, in front of the gate of Seville, two farmers found the image of a small virgin in a well, whose waters were said to restore health to all those sick people who drank it. To commemorate the discovery, a small hermitage was erected nearby, and it became a fair to be held on the first days of Pentecost.