La Mezquita: The Great Mosque of Cordoba

CORDOBA

Home of La Mezquita...a huge mosque dating to the 900s, it was added to multiple times by different rulers. When the Christians regained control of the area in the 1200s, it was named a Cathedral, and a section at the center of the mosque was constructed into a Christian church. I think that most of us, as architecture students, were astounded that people would attempt to desecrate such a great religious structure with little or no regard for the spaces it is surrounded by. There are no transitions of note between the two types of architecture and the church creates a block in the center of the open forest of columns supporting 2-tiered arches. It was sad and amazing all at once.

The entry to the Mosque starts before the Mosque itself, in a plaza full of orange trees with a complex irrigation system throughout.

The first step inside brings immediate awe at the full height screen bringing light into the entry-way.

From the screen, you can sit on the bench and strain your eyes into the dimly-lit expanses of the mosque all the way to the mihrab wall. Your view is bordered by the columns and double arches on either side.

A look in either direction will awe you as you stare into the grid of columns that covers the plan of the mosque and lifts the ceilings beyond view.

All the way at the back is where the actual heart of the Mosque sits: the Mihrab. This niche is etched with scripture and ornately decorated in the utmost detail. While not well-lit, this is the destination point of Muslims because it is the part of the Mosque closest to Mecca, the direction in which they pray 5 times daily.

I refrained from taking many pictures of the Christian part of the mosque/cathedral, which I now realize robs any viewers from drawing their own conclusions about the cathedral inside. This, however, was one of the poorer attempts at integrating the two types of architecture.

On a much brighter note, the detailing was inspiring. I wonder how long it must have taken to design such details and if the architects did both the general AND detail design...I don't know if that type of detail is even done anywhere these days. This also has a Christian cross thrown in there under the left arch.