Muslim architecture of the Mezquita.
This used to be the
minaret. It has been converted to a belltower.
The Mezquita (Spanish for "mosque") of Cordoba is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It used to be a mosque situated in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Spain. At first the site had been used for a temple, then a Christian cathedral. Under the rule of Islam, it was built as the second-largest mosque in the world. It is perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad dynasty of Cordoba. It changed into mosque in Middle Ages. After the Spanish Reconquista, it was changed back into a church, and some of the Islamic columns and arcs were replaced by a basilica in early Baroque style. Today it houses the main church of the diocese of Cordoba in Spain.
Images for kids
-
Excavated Late Roman mosaics visible under the floor of the Mosque-Cathedral today
-
The columns and double-tiered arches in the original section of the mosque building
-
Bab al-Wuzara ("Viziers' Gate", today the Puerta de San Esteban), one of the oldest surviving gates of the mosque; its decoration dates from 855
-
Floor plan of the expanded mosque, with each major historical phase of expansion labelled for the ruler who commissioned it and the documented starting date (which sometimes varies depending on the sources)
-
In addition to a minaret, Abd ar-Rahman III expanded the courtyard and probably added a gallery around the edges (though the current gallery was rebuilt by architect Hernán Ruiz I in the early 16th century)
-
The mosaic-decorated mihrab (center) and the interlacing arches of the maqsura (left and right) in the extension added by al-Hakam II after 961
-
Prayer hall in al-Mansur's extension (after 987). The design of the arches has remained constant but the details of the new capitals have been much simplified.
-
Floor plan of the cathedral-mosque today, following multiple additions in the Christian era of the building. Most notably, the current Capilla Mayor (center) was added in the 16th century.
-
The Gothic nave of the Villaviciosa Chapel, dating from the late 15th century and the former main chapel of the cathedral
-
The ceilings of the Renaissance nave and transept, completed by Juan de Ochoa in 1607
-
-
View of the maqsura arches and the mihrab behind it, with the lateral doors on the right and left
-
The Courtyard of the Orange Trees today
-
-
Remains of the Puerta del Punto, one of the former eastern gates of the mosque from Al-Hakam II's 10th-century expansion, before Al-Mansur's subsequent eastward extension of the building
-
Puerta de las Palmas, seen from the Courtyard of the Oranges
-
This painting by Edwin Lord Weeks (circa 1880) depicts an old Moor preaching holy war against Christians at the mosque's mihrab. "Despite the painting's illusion of reality, such a jihad, or holy war, would never have been called for in a mosque." Walters Art Museum
-
-
Carved marble decoration on the lower walls around the mihrab
-
The mosaics in the voussoirs of the mihrab arch
-
Kufic inscriptions in the mosaics of the alfiz above the mihrab
-
The blind arcade above the alfiz, with mosaics
-
Interior of the mihrab and its shell-shaped dome
-
The middle dome over the maqsura, in front of the mihrab
-
View of the intersecting arches in the maqsura area around the mihrab
-
Eastern door in the maqsura area (left of the mihrab), which led to the mosque's treasury
-
Eastern dome of the maqsura (left of the mihrab)
-
Western door in the maqsura area (right of the mihrab), which led to the passage connecting to the Caliph's palace
-
Western dome of the maqsura (right of the mihrab)
-
The interlacing arches at the entrance to Al-Hakam II's 10th-century extension (the Villaviciosa Chapel)
-
The ribbed dome at the entrance Al-Hakam II's 10th-century extension (the Villaviciosa Chapel)
-
Details of one of the corners of the dome
-
The nave of the cruciform core of the cathedral or Capilla Mayor, looking towards the altar
-
Details of the Gothic lines and iconographic sculpting over the altar of the Capilla Mayor
-
Elliptical dome over the crossing
-
One of the arms of the transept
-
Gothic decoration on the ceilings of the transept arms
-
Example of the arches of the former mosque incorporated into the sides of the transept
-
The choir section and ceiling
-
-
-
The tabernacle (center) and the lower region of the altar
-
The upper region of the altar, with the central canvas of the Assumption
-
Overall view of the choir
-
View of the seats on the upper and lower rows
-
The upper part of the episcopal throne of the choir, featuring a life-size representation of the Ascension
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Puerta del Espíritu Santo
-
-
-
-
Puerta de la Grada Redonda
-
-
-
-
-
Puerta de la Concepción Antigua
-
-
-
-
-
See also
In Spanish: Mezquita-catedral de Córdoba para niños