10 Curiosities about the History of the Mosque of Córdoba

I will tell you that it took me many years to get to know it, but possibly my greater travel experience today has allowed me to appreciate its great majesty much better.

I'm talking about the Mosque of Cordoba, riding a Andalusia, without a doubt one of the most impressive monuments you can visit in Spain, and now one of my favorites.

However, among the curiosities about the Mosque of Cordoba, I will tell you that in the ranking of museums and monuments of Spain, due to the number of visitors they receive per year, barely enters the top 10.

This confirms to me that it is a monument that is not sufficiently known taking into account the impressive historical and artistic value it has.

In your trips to Andalusia I'm sure you've visited Sevilla y Grenada, but you may not have stopped yet at Cordova for at least visit his mosque, just as it happened to me for many years.

Now my advice is that if you go, plan a trip through southern Spain, Mosque of Cordoba It must be an essential visit.

I predict that you will be impressed by the enormous beauty of this building, which was the best example of the Muslim art in Spain, and the largest mosque in the West.

Here we leave you a video of our last visit of Córdoba where, of course, we visited the mosque.

Curiosities about the history of the Mosque of Córdoba

For your visit, below are the best curiosities of the history of the Mosque of Córdoba.

In what year was the Mosque of Córdoba built?

La Mosque of Cordoba It was built between the years 786 and 988, in different phases, and became the best example of the strength of the Umayyad Caliphate de Cordova.

Visigothic church in the Mosque of Córdoba

The mosque began to be built on the land of a old visigothic church, known as church of San Vicente, of which during your visit you can still see some archaeological remains.

First Mosque of Abderraman I

Abderraman I He was the promoter of the mosque, which in its first phase had eleven longitudinal naves that ended in the wall of the qibla.

By then he already presented the spectacular forest of columns, image historically associated with Mosque of Cordoba.

It should be noted that said qibla, oriented to Guadalquivir river, does not look at Mecca, as is usual in Muslim mosques, for which the reason is not known.

Mosque Extensions

This original mosque was followed by three extensions made by Abderraman II, Al Hakam II y almanzor.

In the first and second expansions, the temple extended towards the river.

And it is in this second expansion when the area of ​​greatest architectural beauty of the Mosque, the one that occupies the beautiful macura and mihrab, with splendid decoration.

Almanzor expansion 

La third expansion of Almanzor It is the one with the largest surface area, and on this occasion it had to be done by building new longitudinal naves on the south side.

Capacity of people of the Mosque of Córdoba

In this way, the Mosque It once had capacity for up to 30.000 worshipers, compared to 7.500 in the original mosque.

From mosque to Christian cathedral 

Later, after the entry of the king Ferdinand III in Córdoba in the year 1236, the Mosque consecrated as Cordoba Cathedral.

From then on, a transformation began in the Muslim monument to turn it into a christian cathedral.

gothic ship 

The first action took place in 1266, when a Gothic nave and a Main Chapel, which is currently known as the Villaviciosa Chapel.

This reform did not imply a great deterioration of the original structure of the Muslim temple, as you will see during your visit.

However, the most important reform carried out, and also the most controversial, took place in the 16th century.

Renaissance Basilica 

At that time the ecclesiastical authorities considered building a christian cathedral with a cruise and a new High altar de Renaissance style.

Finally the intervention had to be approved by the King Charles I, who after visit the Mosque of Córdoba Once the works were completed, he expressed his disapproval of the great deterioration of the original monument of the mosque.

This debate in a way still continues to this day with the double facet of the temple as mosque-cathedral.

Of course, it must be recognized that precisely this “integration” is what has led to the conservation of the mosque, compared to what happened with other old mosques.

Let us remember that in the case of the old mosque of Seville, it was directly demolished and replaced by a new Christian cathedral.

The construction of the renaissance basilica, with its large central dome, extended for almost a century, until the year 1600.

Later, in 1757, the spectacular choir stalls, baroque style.

When was declared a World Heritage Site

La Mosque of Cordoba in 1984 it was declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco.

What the Mosque of Córdoba looks like today

Currently, in your visit to the Cathedral Mosque, you will be able to see its exterior walls, with the different doors, such as the main one, known as the Door of Forgiveness, or the most beautiful of Muslim origin, the Gates of Al Hakam II.

Through them you will access the beautiful Patio de los Naranjos.

And once inside the religious building you can enjoy the famous forest of columns, with its different extensions, as well as the impressive architectural area of ​​the macura and mihrab.

And of course, you can also walk through the aforementioned gothic ship and for the renaissance basilica, current religious center of this monument.

More information about the Mosque of Córdoba

• Official website of the Cathedral Mosque of Córdoba
• What to see when visiting the Mosque of Córdoba, with schedules and ticket prices
• This is the guided night tour of El Alma de Córdoba in the Mosque of Córdoba
• Patio de los Naranjos