A Mosque and Cathedral in Cordoba Holiday Rentals

For those of you who are interested in history visit the city of Cordoba while on your HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN. Cordoba is home to an interesting Moorish mosque from the 10th century which was consecrated as a Christian cathedral in the 13th century. This occurred only after the city of Cordoba was conquered by the Christians. Through the intervening years, the Mosque underwent many changes. After the reconquest of the Christians, they built a royal chapel which served as a pantheon for the succeeding Spanish Kings. This chapel was to be the subject of many improvements over the centuries. The minaret of the original mosque was converted into a bell tower which included a nave that was added at a later time. The Mudejar Muslims, who converted to Christianity, redesigned parts of the Mosque from Arabic to Moorish style architecture, only to be changed again to a Gothic style at a later date.

The inside of the Mosque is an intriguing place to view especially with its array of pillars and arches that made one feel as though they were in a desert tent. The arches alone are of a Moorish origin with alternating white stone and red bricks which will leave you unaware you are in a Christian church although it was once a mosque. These columns alone will give you the feeling of being out in the desert in a Sultan’s tent.

The Mihrab is a small niche in the wall, normally facing Mecca, where the Imam came to pray. This niche is normally decorated unlike the one in the Cordoba mosque which is lavishly decorated from the time it was built. The mosque was built in what most people referred to as the greatest period of splendour for Moorish Spain. During the time of the Byzantine Empire, Cordoba was included in the most prosperous and populated list of cities in Europe. The construction of the Cordoba mosque is exemplified even further by its poets, artisans and intellectuals that reached the epitome of their pursuits at the time.

In the later years the powers to be organized a cathedral to be built within the walls of the existing mosque. Only the best craftsmen were allowed to work on this cathedral especially in its decoration. They used many different items that became part of the decor when it was changed to a Gothic style of construction. One outstanding feature is the life-sized bull and lion that adorn the two mahogany pulpits.

While on your HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN, be sure and visit the cathedral’s bell tower that was once the minaret of the mosque. From the bell tower, you can get some magnificent views over the city of Cordoba. The bell tower is quite tall and contains many steps for you to reach the top. Once you reach the top, you will agree that the trip was well worth the effort. As the bell tower, which is part of the mosque, sits on top of the hill you have an even higher elevation to view the surrounding countryside.

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