The chapel of San Nicolás de Bari is located between the chapels of the east wall of the Cathedral of Cordoba. It was donated in patronage to Canon Bartolomé de León in 1533. It is rectangular in shape.
It houses the altarpiece of San Nicolás de Bari, which was designed by Hernán Ruiz II, and is divided into a bench, lower body, upper body and attic, and occupies the entire front wall of the chapel, but it is believed that the construction of the altarpiece was carried out by Juan de Castillejo, or by Francisco Jiménez. The gilding and polychromy of the altarpiece were carried out in 1556 by Francisco de Castillejo. The carved image of San Nicolás de Bari, which is located in the central street, is attributed to Francisco Martínez and can be dated to the 17th century.
The rest of the canvases in the chapel's altarpiece were commissioned from the Brussels painter Pedro de Campaña in 1556, and were painted between that year and the following, with the painter finishing the canvases that make up the altarpiece in 1557.
On the left wall of the chapel is the altarpiece of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the work of Francisco Ruiz Paniagua, made in 1679. It was built taking into account the semicircular arch in which it should be placed. It has a bench, a single body and an attic. The bench is made up of two geometric shapes decorated with leaves, which serve as a frame for the support where the niche or central street of the altarpiece sits. The body of the altarpiece is entirely occupied by the large canvas depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe, with her hands joined, her gaze lowered and a gleam of rays giving her brilliant reflections.
Surrounding the canvas where the Virgin of Guadalupe is depicted, there is a series of smaller canvases, in which the story of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Indian Juan Diego is told in episodes. The name of the author or, more likely, the authors of this series of small canvases is unknown, but in their strokes the intervention of different people can be seen. Despite this, the strip of carved and gilded wood contributes to the cohesion of the entire altarpiece.
The canvases on the bench of the altarpiece depict the Washing of the Feet, the Holy Supper and the Prayer in the Garden. The three canvases conform to the painter's characteristic forms, which combine his Flemish origin with the teachings of the Italian masters. The lower section of the altarpiece contains the canvases of the Annunciation and the Epiphany, flanking the image of Saint Nicholas of Bari. The second section contains paintings depicting the Battle of the Angels, the Virgin and Child and the Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew.
In the centre of the attic of the altarpiece is the Calvary, flanked by two tondos depicting the heads of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.