Beautiful details - the mihrab and Cathedral of Cordoba's Mezquita

Gilded tile entrance to the mihrab in the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba

Thursday, October 31, 2019                  Cordoba

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Merida amphitheater. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch. The famous alternating red and white stripes of the arches were inspired by those in the Dome of the Rock.

A hypostyle - a ceiling supported by columns - is the dominant feature of the design of the building

The "newest" section  (988) is less finely detailed - it has painted arches, rather than alternating colored bricks

The mosque also has a richly gilded mihrab. The mihrab is a masterpiece of architectural art, with geometric and flowing designs of plants. Other prominent features were an open court surrounded by arcades, screens of wood, minarets, colorful mosaics, and windows of colored glass. 

The foliated arches of the antechamber, looking at the arched door of the mihrab

Decorations of stylized calligraphy and representations of the tree of life surround the entrance to the mihrab

The tiles of the dome and those surrounding the mihrab opening were a gift of the Byzantine emperor

Additional doors flank the mihrab on either side

We finished in Cordoba's Mosque-Cathedral by looking at the Cathedral.  A proclamation was made by bishop Don Alfonso de Manrique in 1523 ordering the construction of the crossing of the Cathedral to be in the geometric center of the Muslim temple. He was not satisfied with the Grand Chapel that had been built on the side of the church. An appeal against this building plan was made to Charles V (Carlos V), the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain.  He declined. Later, when he visited the mosque, he is reported to have said, “Had I known what this was, I would not have allowed it to reach the ancient part, as what your are doing is already done elsewhere, but you have undone what is unique in the world.”  

The transition from the original mosque to the large Catholic cathedral, built right in the center of the mosque 

Dome of the Latin cross of the Cathedral crossing

Cathedral alter and one of the ornately carved wooden pulpits

The construction began in 1523,  and the first part of the cathedral crossing was completed in 1599, but the complete works didn’t end until 1766. A central nave and two main aisles form a Latin cross, the lower part of the walls are decorated in Gothic style. There are 2 organs and an incredible carved wooden choir, as well as 4 beautifully carved wooden pulpits with the symbols of the four Evangelists at their bases.

One of two gorgeous pipe organs in the Cathedral

Carved wooden choir seats

Faces carved into the armrests of the choir

The signatures of the original artisans that can be found throughout the columns and other areas of the Mesquita

One of the artisan signatures in the columns