The Mezquita-Catedral

The Mezquita-Catedral

The emir Abd al-Rahman I began construction on the Mosque of Cordoba in 786, when Spain was still under Moorish rule. Work on the mosque was ongoing, until finished near the end of the tenth century. Abd al-Rahman I wanted to build a magnificent structure as a showcase and symbol of the power, wealth and artistic prowess of the Ummayid Caliphate on the Iberian Peninsula. The former mosque now serves as Córdoba’s main cathedral, the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption).

The land, as well as the various religious buildings that have occupied this site, has seen its share of builders and rulers. This spot once hosted the Roman Temple of Janus, and then later served as the location for the Monastery of San Vicente, built by the Visigoths. Abd al-Rahman I knocked down the bulk of the monastery after he acquired the land, although his engineers incorporated the original columns of the monastery into the architectural plans for his grand new mosque. After Fernando III conquered Cordoba from the Moors in the middle of the 13th century, he converted the mosque into a cathedral.

The interior courtyard, and interior of the cathedral itself are simply ravishing. You’ll have to pass through a courtyard (the Patio de Los Naranjos), which is full of orange trees, in order to get into the cathedral. The inside of the Mezquita is packed with more than 800 columns and decorative mosaics, as well as a multitude of arches, all striped in red. Walking beneath and through the arches and columns feels a bit like walking through a forest. Christians converted the mosque’s original minaret into a bell tower in the Baroque style, to complement the cathedral.

The actual cathedral sits in the center of the larger mosque. You can climb the steps up to the top of the bell tower for a stunning view over Cordoba. Before you head inside and buy a ticket, be sure to wander through the Patio de Los Naranjos, and soak up some of the Mezquita’s charm from outside.