Mezquita Mosque/Cathedral, Cordoba, Spain (photo via Wikipedia)
The Mezquita is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Before the Muslim conquest the site was the Visigoth Church of St Vincent (600 AD)
Before the Visigoth Church there was a Roman temple to the god Janus.
Entry to interior courtyard
Interior courtyard is called the Court of Oranges (for the trees here)
The mosque incorporates Roman pillars.
There are 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite, made from pieces of the Roman temple.
The mosque was started in 784 AD and completed in 987 AD.
The Catholic reconquest converted the mosque to a cathedral in 1236.
Polychrome – carved wood overlaid with gesso then painted and gilt.
Spanish polychrome is the most beautiful I have seen.
Click any image to see larger photo. The great Mezquita mosque & cathedral is a vast and soaring space. I can think of no better description than to call it eloquent.
MK pix 
I loved visiting the Mezquita. So iconic. And isn’t it fascinating how cultures build on top of each other?
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I think in essence cultures *do* build on each other. But isn’t it true that a place long defined as a sacred space gets monopolized by the prevailing dominant power? I think it is the reverence in the hearts of people that create that aura of the sacred. I have visited many churches / temples / etc. Some are awesome in their holiness while others are mere buildings.
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Yes, well said!
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Spain never held much appeal for me, but having read more of its history lately and your wonderful images, I could almost be tempted. 🙂
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Thank you Gunta for that nice compliment! For me also, Spain doesn’t particularly resonate. This year’s destination was the choice of my beloved, so off we went. And as it turns out, the Andalucia region is well worth exploring – the Moorish architecture especially intoxicating.
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Talk about a house of God! It must have taken you all day to go through it. It has such beautiful layers of architecture & just oozes history.
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It is one of those rare places that is both vast and stunningly beautiful. I could have gladly stayed much longer than the several hours we spent wandered about.
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I love hearing music in cathedrals because the sound naturally rises upwards and, if there are stone walls, the sound hits the stones and reverberates everywhere. Awe-inspiring structures like this make people believe in a higher power as soon as they walk in.
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I also enjoy music in cathedrals. In this place I didn’t hear any music; there was no service going on. This space feels like whoever designed it wanted to convey the sense of deepest meditation. Another space that I was impressed by was Ste Chapelle in Paris. Its upper room is the essence of the catholic interpretation of heaven – to me, that is.
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