The title compound, [Co(C(20)H(14)N(2)O(2))(C(5)H(5)N)(2)]ClO(4) or [Co(salophen)(py)(2)]ClO(4), where salophen is o-phenyl-enebis(nitrilo-methyl-idyne)]diphenolate and py is pyridine, contains a six-coordinate mononuclear cobalt(III) atom. The two phenolic O atoms and the two imine N atoms are located in cis positions. There are two pyridine mol-ecules attached to the metal atom, filling the axial sites with a mutually perpendicular disposition of the pyridine planes [86.11 (5)°]. The Co complexes are stacked in layers parallel to (100). Coherence of the structure is provided by a variety of C-H⋯O interactions between the complexes and the perchlor-ate counter anion.