Cordoba

Mosque/Cathedral, Cordoba

Our tour began in Madrid on May 23 with a short walking tour in the old city the day everyone arrived.  Then on to Cordoba where we had a wonderful tour of the Mosque-Cathedral that is so huge and so stunning for its blend of architectures.

Moorish arches

Built over several centuries by the Muslim rulers of Spain, it became one of the largest mosques in the Arab world.  One enters through the traditional garden where beautiful plants and flowing water add to a mood of meditation.  Inside, the rounded double arches with their distinctive alternation of red brick and white stone give the building height, but the regular rows of columns down 19 naves are full of variety as most were salvaged from various Roman structures and little changed as they were slipped into place.  But the Christian conquest of Cordoba necessitated a change of plan.  The giant tower (above right) was built around the minaret and a gothic-style cathedral was plunked down in the middle of the otherwise untouched Moorish structure.

Gothic and Moorish Influences

Altar, Cordoba Mosque/Cathedral

It's remarkable that the pillars holding up the gothic roof are so overwhelmed by the regularity of the Moorish columns that one hardly notices them, but Christian/gothic mixes with Muslim/moorish in sometimes unpredictable ways (above right).  To my way of thinking, the church inside this building just never seems right.  It remains an interloper almost nine centuries later.  But Ferdinand and Isabella gave it their all and the result is a magnificent altar.