By Jacob Obsorne
In the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, three separate religions, Visigoths, Catholics, and Muslims, vied for control of a sacred building. Each time the church was taken, the new rulers added on their own extensions. The result is marvelous patchwork of religion, culture, and architectural styles spanning across centuries.
The church was originally constructed in the mid-sixth century as the Visigothic Basilica of San Vicente. It was used as a Christian temple. When Muslims began living in the city, the courtyard was split to allow both faiths to worship side by side.
As the population grew, the church grew with it. By the turn of the twelfth century, the Visigoths had been all but removed from the area, and Muslim leaders had enlarged the church as a demonstration of power. In the 600 years since it’s construction, architectural styles and knowledge had changed significantly, and distinct differences could already be seen in different areas of the holy building.
When the city of Cordoba was overtaken by Spain in the twelfth century, the entire holy building was consecrated as a Catholic church. To help the building look more like their other buildings, Christian architects built a temple as a sort of extension to the building. Christians continued to add to the building up until mid-seventeenth century.
“It’s incredible to see architecture like this, more than one thousands years of architectural history in one building,” Sofía García, a tour guide at the Mosque-Cathedral, said.
“You can travel the world over looking for something like this, but to see so many culture and so many years all grouped up in one site- it’s one of a kind.” (Quote translated from Spanish by Jacob Osborn)
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