Calle Compañía

The Calle Compañía, in Cadix

The Calle Compañía is a lively street of the historic centre of Cadix that, under a discreet appearance, tells more than four centuries of Gaditan history. The Cadix audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this artery that owes its name to the Company of Jesus, the Jesuits, settled here from the end of the sixteenth century, and that keeps all the warm atmosphere of old Cadix.

The street of the Jesuits

The Calle Compañía seems discreet, but it tells more than four centuries of Gaditan history. Its name comes from the Company of Jesus, the Jesuits, settled here from the end of the sixteenth century. At that time, they founded there a great college and a church that would become one of the most important temples of the town. The whole was ravaged at the end of the sixteenth century during the sack of Cadix by the Anglo-Dutch troops, a painful episode of the history of the town, but the Jesuits quickly rebuilt their church, completed around 1647, in a Mannerist style inspired by the famous Gesù of Rome. In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from Spain and their college disappeared, but the street kept their name, recovered after the democratic Transition. Today, the Calle Compañía is a lively street of the historic centre, lined with varied façades and small shops, where you fully feel the warm and lively atmosphere of old Cadix. By walking along it, you measure how much the religious and commercial history of the town is inscribed even in the name of its streets, and how much the past continues to cohabit with daily life. Between shops, terraces and passers-by, it offers a condensed of the Gaditan soul, at once popular and laden with memory. A street of history and a lively artery, the Calle Compañía is a fine stop of the discovery of Cadix.

What to see

Here you walk along a lively street of the historic centre of Cadix, that owes its name to the Company of Jesus, the Jesuits settled here from the end of the sixteenth century; they founded there a great college and a church rebuilt around 1647 in the style of the Gesù of Rome, before being expelled in 1767. Lined with varied façades and shops, it breathes the atmosphere of old Cadix. The Calle Compañía is a street of history of Cadix. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Calle Compañía lies in the heart of the historic centre of Cadix, reachable on foot. It is a street freely accessible, lined with shops and terraces, lively all day. You walk along it during a stroll in old Cadix.

Where does the name of the Calle Compañía in Cadix come from?

From the Company of Jesus, the Jesuits, settled here from the end of the sixteenth century, who founded there a great college and a church rebuilt around 1647 in the style of the Gesù of Rome; expelled from Spain in 1767, they saw their college disappear, but the street kept their name, recovered after the democratic Transition.

Where is the Calle Compañía in Cadix?

In the heart of the historic centre of Cadix, in Spain.