Netflix’s latest foray into superhero oddities, Warrior Nun, is a mashup of Catholicism, sci-fi, and good old-fashioned kicking evil’s butt. But unlike many modern-day superhero stories, which are set in the United States, this is a European story. The action is set in the Andalusia province of Spain, namechecking areas like Seville and Córdoba as well as the major city of Magala. But fans of fantasy — Game of Thrones in particular — may feel like they’ve seen some of these places before, leading many to wonder where was Warrior Nun was filmed.
Warning: Spoilers for Warrior Nun Season 1 follow. Warrior Nun dives into both religion and science. The Order of the Cruciform Sword, for instance, is a sisterhood run out of a Spanish cathedral, of which the Warrior Nun is the leader. There’s also Arq-Tech, a company trying to use the OCS’ sacred substance, Divinum, for invention purposes. The company is attempting to create a gateway to Heaven, or at least the astral plane just beyond human senses.
But sometimes, the show turns into a travelogue of the southern Spanish coast, with scenes in gorgeous beach houses along the Mediterranean and long shots of sunsets across the hills. It’s partly tied into the subplot of Ava’s squatter friends who move from house to house. But it’s also a reminder that the on-location areas where the show was shot are simply beautiful.
It also may look familiar at points. That’s because this is the same region where Game of Thrones shot scenes for Dorne and areas of Essos from Seasons 5 through 8.
Warrior Nun and Game of Thrones share a European production company, Fresco Film Services, which coordinates film shoots in Spain and Portugal. According to Bleeding Cool, Warrior Nun shot in Ronda, Antequera, and Malaga, as well as Seville and Córdoba.
Antequera, in particular, was an area Game of Thrones used in Season 6. Osuna, which was used for the slave fighting pits of Meereen, is part of this area. Seville stood in for Dorne from Season 5 onward, and Córdoba’s famous bridge was the (heavily CGI’d) Volantis. Moreover, the mountainous region between the cities where Sister Mary and Ava find themselves spending the night partway through the series is not far from where Daenerys wandered the deserts of Essos after leaving Meereen.
So, if there’s a weird moment when Ava looks like she’s running through a street in Meereen or Sister Mary looks like she might round a corner and find an Unsullied, that’s not your imagination. It turns out Dragon Queens and Warrior Nuns do hang out in the same places.
