Great Mosque, now Cathedral (Islam · Christianity)
Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba
“A forest of red-and-white arches where two faiths meet under one roof”
Photo: Nicolas Vollmer · CC BY 2.0
Scenes
Meaning
Endless columns open before you, red-and-white double arches branching like a forest, a new arch unfolding with every step. Deep inside, the gold-mosaic mihrab glows like candlelight, a thousand years of prayer soaked into the stone.
Tradition holds that Abd al-Rahman I began this great mosque of al-Andalus in the late 8th century, enlarged by his successors into a forest of some 850 columns and red-and-white double arches, with a mihrab framed in golden mosaic. Continued as a cathedral after the 13th century, it is understood today as one building where two faiths leave their traces. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Field notes
- Location
- Andalusia · Spain · N37.9° · W4.8°
- Best time
- Early morning, when light filters through the forest of columns
- Getting there
- In the old town of Córdoba, Spain, beside the Guadalquivir river.
- Etiquette
- A living sanctuary where Mass continues; keep quiet and dress modestly.
Sources
- · UNESCO World Heritage
- · Encyclopaedia Britannica
Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.