The spinal cord is enclosed and protected by the vertebral column and layers of membranes called

Spinal meninges.

The spinal meninges are the dura mater, separated from the vertebral column by a space called epidural space, and separated from the next meninge in profundity by the subdural space; the arachnoid mater with the subarachnoid space; and, the most profound, the pia mater.