Cordoba's main tourist attraction is the Mezquita (spanish for mosque). A Church, which was once a Mosque (which was actually originally a Church.)

What makes it interesting is that it is still part mosque while being a church. There are rows and rows of rose-coloured columns topped with stripped yellow and red arches. There is a mihrab decorated with glittering mosaics. The mosque is a leftover from a time when a Muslim Emir controlled southern Spain.


Well at least the architecture is part mosque. Smack bang in the middle of the Mezquita is a Roman Catholic cathedral nave decorated in the baroque style. In 1236, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella recaptured Cordoba from the Muslims. At this time they simply re-consecrated the mosque as a church (abracadabra!). Later on, when they thought about tearing the mosque down and building a proper church there was a bit of an uproar. Some families in the town had their chapels inside the current mosque and did not want them destroyed. So in the 14th century, the king had a new church built, right in the middle of the mosque. It's rather at odds with the rest of the building.


Reputedly, when Carlos V saw what he had authorised he said "You have destroyed something that was unique in the world." And yet, without the church in the middle of it, the Mezquita might not exist today. Its conversion to a church probably saved it from the Spanish Inquisition. So, although incongruous, we are thankful for the chapel. Thankful that it's there and therefore we're still able to visit at least part of this beautiful building.


More photos on Flickr

Our visit to La Mezquita was part of Tapas Travels: The Wilsons + Daleys do Spain. Mum, Dad, Andrew and I did a 3-week road trip around Spain with a few days tacked on in Portugal at the end of the journey. Other entries from this trip include: La Sagrada Familia and The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone.