Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

Muslim architecture of the Mezquita. The ( Great ) Mezquita ( of Córdoba or Cordova ), now known as Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción ( ) is a Roman Catholic Cathedral originally built as a Mosque on the place (and partly with materials) of what previously had been a Christian Visigothic Church in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Spain . It is regarded as perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba. After the Spanish Reconquista , it was turned into a church, with a Gothic cathedral inserted into the center of the large Moorish building. Today the entire building is used to house the Cathedral of the diocese of Córdoba in Spain.

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba ( ), also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba ( ), whose ecclesiastical name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption ( ), is the Catholic Christian cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia . The structure is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture . It originally was a Catholic Christian church built by the Visigoths . When Muslims conquered Spain in 711, the church was first divided into Muslim and Christian halves. This sharing arrangement of the site lasted until 784, when the Christian half was purchased by the Caliph 'Abd al-Rahman I , who then proceeded to demolish the entire structure and build the grand mosque of Cordoba on its ground. After the Reconquista , it was converted to a Roman Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century. Since the early 2000s, Spanish Muslims have lobbied the Roman Catholic Church to allow them to pray in the cathedral. This Muslim campaign has been rejected on multiple occasions, both by the church authorities in Spain and by the Vatican . The eight-century Great Mosque with double arches in Córdoba was transformed into the Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption. : |access-date= requires |url= ( help ) Daniel, Ben (2013). The Search for Truth about Islam . The church is Catholic and has been for centuries, but when Catholic Spaniards expelled the local Arabic and Muslim population (the people they called the Moors) in 1236, they didn't do what the Catholic Church tended to do everywhere else when it moved in and displaced locally held religious beliefs: they didn't destroy the local religious shrine and build a cathedral of the foundations of the sacred space that had been knocked down. Instead, they built a church inside and up through the roof of the mosque, and then dedicated the entire space to Our Lady of the Assumption and made it the cathedral for the Diocese of Cordoba. : |access-date= requires |url= ( help ) Guia, Aitana (1 July 2014). It was originally a small temple of Christian Visigoth origin. Under Umayyad reign in Spain (711–1031 CE), it was expanded and made into a mosque, which it would remain for eight centuries. During the Christian conquest of Al-Andalus, Christians captured the mosque and consecrated it as a Catholic church. : |access-date= requires |url= ( help ) Armstrong, Ian (2013). On this site originally stood the Visigoths' Christian Church of San Vicente, but when the Moors came to town in 758 CE they knocked it down and constructed a mosque in its place. When Córdoba fell once again to the Christians, King Ferdinand II and his successors set about Christianizing the structure, most dramatically adding the bight pearly white Renaissance nave where mass is held every morning. Thomson, Muslims ask Pope to OK worship in ex-mosque , Reuters, (2011), [1] Fuchs, Dale (28 December 2006).

Church in Andalusia, Spain The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba ( ), also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba ( ) and the Mezquita , whose ecclesiastical name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption ( ), is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia . The structure is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture . According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins , originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. Córdoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista , and the building was converted to a Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century. The Great Mosque of Cordoba was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984 Lapunzina, Alejandro (2005). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Seville & Andalusia . The Rough Guide to Andalucia . The eight-century Great Mosque with double arches in Córdoba was transformed into the Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption. The Search for Truth about Islam . The church is Catholic and has been for centuries, but when Catholic Spaniards expelled the local Arabic and Muslim population (the people they called the Moors) in 1236, they didn't do what the Catholic Church tended to do everywhere else when it moved in and displaced locally held religious beliefs: they didn't destroy the local religious shrine and build a cathedral of the foundations of the sacred space that had been knocked down. On this site originally stood the Visigoths' Christian Church of San Vicente, but when the Moors came to town in 758 CE they knocked it down and constructed a mosque in its place. When Córdoba fell once again to the Christians, King Ferdinand II and his successors set about Christianizing the structure, most dramatically adding the bright pearly white Renaissance nave where mass is held every morning.

Church in Andalusia, Spain The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba ( ), officially known by its ecclesiastical name of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption ( ), is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia . Due to its status as a former mosque , it is also known as the Mezquita ( ; 'mosque' in Spanish) and as the Great Mosque of Córdoba . According to traditional accounts a Visigothic church, the Catholic Christian Basilica of Vincent of Saragossa , originally stood on the site of the current Mosque-Cathedral, although this has been a matter of scholarly debate. The Great Mosque was constructed in 785 on the orders of Abd al-Rahman I , founder of the Islamic Emirate and later Caliphate of Córdoba . It was expanded multiple times afterwards under Abd ar-Rahman's successors up to the late 10th century. Among the most notable additions, Abd al-Rahman III added a minaret (finished in 958) and his son al-Hakam II added a richly-decorated new mihrab and maqsurah section (finished in 971). The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista . The structure itself underwent only minor modifications until a major building project in the 16th century inserted a new Renaissance cathedral nave and transept into the center of the building. The former minaret, which had been converted to a bell tower , was also significantly remodelled around this time. Starting in the 19th century, modern restorations have in turn led to the recovery and study of some of the building's Islamic-era elements. Today, the building continues to serve as the city's cathedral and Mass is celebrated there daily. The mosque structure is an important monument in the history of Islamic architecture and was highly influential on the subsequent "Moorish" architecture of the western Mediterranean regions of the Muslim world . It is also one of Spain's major historic monuments and tourist attractions, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The eight-century Great Mosque with double arches in Córdoba was transformed into the Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption. The Search for Truth about Islam . The church is Catholic and has been for centuries, but when Catholic Spaniards expelled the local Arabic and Muslim population (the people they called the Moors) in 1236, they didn't do what the Catholic Church tended to do everywhere else when it moved in and displaced locally held religious beliefs: they didn't destroy the local religious shrine and build a cathedral of the foundations of the sacred space that had been knocked down. Instead, they built a church inside and up through the roof of the mosque, and then dedicated the entire space to Our Lady of the Assumption and made it the cathedral for the Diocese of Córdoba. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture . The Great Mosque of Cordoba was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984 Lapunzina, Alejandro (2005). Finally, adding to present difficulties in perceiving the sequence of post-conquest restorations, additions, and demolitions is the fact that the cathedral has to a certain extent been "re-islamicized": twentieth-century restorers have removed medieval sarcophagi and other structures from around the mihrab area and along the qibla wall, erected a sort of maqsura structure around the same area, and replaced the ceiling with one based on that of the Great Mosque of Qayrawan. On this site originally stood the Visigoths' Christian Church of San Vicente, but when the Moors came to town in 758 CE they knocked it down and constructed a mosque in its place. When Córdoba fell once again to the Christians, King Ferdinand II and his successors set about Christianizing the structure, most dramatically adding the bright pearly white Renaissance nave where mass is held every morning. In Guzmán, López (ed.). The Almoravid and Almohad Empires .

Cathedral and former mosque in Córdoba, Spain Church in Córdoba, Spain The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba ( Spanish : Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba [meθˈkita kateˈðɾal de ˈkoɾðoβa] ), officially known by its ecclesiastical name of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción ), is the cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia . Due to its status as a former mosque , it is also known in Spanish as the Mezquita (Spanish for 'mosque') and in a historical sense as the Great Mosque of Córdoba . According to traditional accounts a Visigothic church, the Catholic Christian Basilica of Vincent of Saragossa , originally stood on the site of the current Mosque-Cathedral, although this has been a matter of scholarly debate. The Great Mosque was constructed in 785 on the orders of Abd al-Rahman I , founder of the Islamic Emirate of Córdoba . It was expanded multiple times afterwards under Abd al-Rahman's successors up to the late 10th century. Among the most notable additions, Abd al-Rahman III added a minaret (finished in 958) and his son al-Hakam II added a richly decorated new mihrab and maqsurah section (finished in 971). The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista . The structure itself underwent only minor modifications until a major building project in the 16th century inserted a new Renaissance cathedral nave and transept into the center of the building. The former minaret, which had been converted to a bell tower , was also significantly remodelled around this time. Starting in the 19th century, modern restorations have in turn led to the recovery and study of some of the building's Islamic-era elements. Today, the building continues to serve as the city's cathedral and Mass is celebrated there daily. The mosque structure is an important monument in the history of Islamic architecture and was highly influential on the subsequent "Moorish" architecture of the western Mediterranean regions of the Muslim world . It is also one of Spain's major historic monuments and tourist attractions, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The eight-century Great Mosque with double arches in Córdoba was transformed into the Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption. The Search for Truth about Islam . The church is Catholic and has been for centuries, but when Catholic Spaniards expelled the local Arabic and Muslim population (the people they called the Moors) in 1236, they didn't do what the Catholic Church tended to do everywhere else when it moved in and displaced locally held religious beliefs: they didn't destroy the local religious shrine and build a cathedral of the foundations of the sacred space that had been knocked down. Instead, they built a church inside and up through the roof of the mosque, and then dedicated the entire space to Our Lady of the Assumption and made it the cathedral for the Diocese of Córdoba. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture . The Great Mosque of Cordoba was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1984 Lapunzina, Alejandro (2005). The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture . Finally, adding to present difficulties in perceiving the sequence of post-conquest restorations, additions, and demolitions is the fact that the cathedral has to a certain extent been 're-islamicized': twentieth-century restorers have removed medieval sarcophagi and other structures from around the mihrab area and along the qibla wall, erected a sort of maqsura structure around the same area, and replaced the ceiling with one based on that of the Great Mosque of Qayrawan. On this site originally stood the Visigoths' Christian Church of San Vicente, but when the Moors came to town in 758 CE they knocked it down and constructed a mosque in its place. When Córdoba fell once again to the Christians, King Ferdinand II and his successors set about Christianizing the structure, most dramatically adding the bright pearly white Renaissance nave where mass is held every morning.