Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba: Difference between revisions

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	~~The~~ ~~very~~ ~~year~~ (]) ~~that~~ Cordoba was recaptured from the Moors, by King ] and rejoined ], the mosque was reconsecrated a ~~Christian~~ church. ] oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the structure of the mosque, but later repented of this addition. The kings who followed added further ~~Christian~~ features: ] rebuilt the chapel in the ].		It is believed that in (]), Cordoba was recaptured from the Moors, by King ], the mosque was reconsecrated as a church. ] oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the structure of the mosque, but later repented of this addition. The kings who followed added further features: ] rebuilt the chapel in the ].

	The most significant alteration was the construction of a Renaissance cathedral ] in the middle of the structure. It was constructed by permission of ], king of united Spain; once he saw what had been built, he supposedly exclaimed, "You have built what you or others might have built anywhere, but you have destroyed something unique in the world." However, the addition of the cathedral nave is believed to have reinforced the edifice's structural stability, and its conversion to a Christian church (officially the '''Cathedral of the ] of the Virgin''') may have helped to preserve it when the ] was most active~~. However, it is well known that the locals, old Christians and converts alike, vehemently protected the monument after the city was regained by the Christian kings~~.		The most significant alteration was the construction of a Renaissance cathedral ] in the middle of the structure. It was constructed by permission of ], king of united Spain; once he saw what had been built, he supposedly exclaimed, "You have built what you or others might have built anywhere, but you have destroyed something unique in the world." However, the addition of the cathedral nave is believed to have reinforced the edifice's structural stability, and its conversion to a Christian church (officially the '''Cathedral of the ] of the Virgin''') may have helped to preserve it when the ] was most active.

	Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late ].		Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late ].

Revision as of 02:37, 5 August 2006

Mezquita, (from Arabic مسجد "Masjid"), is Spanish for "mosque".

This article deals with the one in Cordoba, Spain. It is a 10th century Moorish Islamic house of prayer. The site is older than the building, having been host to a Roman pagan temple, the cathedral church of St Vincent of Saragossa built by the Catholic bishops under Visigothic rule, and finally the Mezquita itself. Within is a Renaissance cathedral, built by the Christian invaders in the early 13th century.

History

The construction of the Mezquita (originally the Aljama Mosque) lasted for over two centuries, starting in 784 A.D. under the supervision of the first emir of Cordoba, Abd ar-Rahman I, who used it as an adjunct to his palace and named it to honor his wife. The site was that of the Visigothic cathedral of St. Vincent. When the forces of Tariq ibn-Ziyad had first occupied Córdoba in 711, it had been equitable that they and the Christians share the cathedral space, according to the historian ar-Râzî, who documented the mosque's history. But with the establishment of the Umayyads in exile as emirs of Córdoba, the compromise space was no longer sufficient. Negotiations between the Emir and the bishop of Córdoba, eased by the promise of a large cash payment as well as permission to rebuild one of the extramural churches that had been leveled at the time of the conquest, resulted in the Christians' relinquishing their half of St. Vincent, which was razed and the new mosque, in its first phase, built upon the foundations (Wolf).

The Mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd ar-Rahman III ordered a new minaret, while Al-Hakam II, in 961, enlarged the plan of the building and enriched the mihrab. Unique among all other mosques, the Mihrab does not point towards Mecca because the foundations of the building are borrowed from the old Roman and Visigoth constructions. The last of the reforms was carried out by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir in 987.

It was the most magnificent of the more than 1,000 mosques in the city, and was at one time the second largest mosque in the Muslim world. It was connected to the Caliph's palace by a raised walk-way, allowing the ruler of Cordoba to visit the mosque without risking assassination. Today the Bishop's palace stands on the site of the Caliph's.

The city in which it was built was subject to frequent invasion, and each conquering wave added their own mark to the architecture. The building is most notable for its giant arches, with over 1,000 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple which had occupied the site previously, as well as other destroyed Roman buildings. The "poly-lobed" arches, pictured above, were a new introduction to architecture, and helped support the tremendous weight of the higher ceilings. Besides these horseshoe-topped arches, the Mezquita also features richly gilded prayer niches. A centrally located honey-combed dome has beautiful blue tiles decorated with stars. The mihrab is a masterpiece of architectural art, with geometric and flowing designs of plants. It reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and orange tree courtyard.

File:Mesquite.jpg

Interior walled-in courtyard of the Mezquita, Cordoba

It is believed that in (1236), Cordoba was recaptured from the Moors, by King Ferdinand III of Castile, the mosque was reconsecrated as a church. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the structure of the mosque, but later repented of this addition. The kings who followed added further features: Enrique II rebuilt the chapel in the 14th century.

The most significant alteration was the construction of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the structure. It was constructed by permission of Carlos V, king of united Spain; once he saw what had been built, he supposedly exclaimed, "You have built what you or others might have built anywhere, but you have destroyed something unique in the world." However, the addition of the cathedral nave is believed to have reinforced the edifice's structural stability, and its conversion to a Christian church (officially the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin) may have helped to preserve it when the Spanish Inquisition was most active.

Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

In 1931, Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal was the first Muslim to pray in the Mezquita after its closure to Islam.