Religious (In)Tolerance

As with our previous visit to this area back in 1993 the trip to the Mezquita in Cordoba brought on mixed emotions.  Then I felt it was the most extraordinary building I had ever seen and eighteen years on I think I agree with that assessment. The astounding beauty and scale of a mosque built in the tenth century and expanded over the next couple of hundred years is amazing.

The Mezquita

The stunning simplicity and symmetry of the building combines with the beauty of the design to incredible effect, especially in the intricate detail of the decor of the mihrab, which pointed the faithful towards Mecca, and the signature red and white of the arches resulting from the initial construction which combined brick and stone. Outside a beautiful courtyard of orange trees welcomes you in.

The Mihrab

The only problem with this near perfect example of Islamic architecture is that during the 16th century King Carlos V authorised the construction of a Christian cathedral within it. The result is that in the midst of the  spartan Islamic arches is a full-size Catholic cathedral with all the gold and accompanying artifacts that implies. Even Carlos didn't like the result and knew he had destroyed something unique.

The Christian Cathedral inside the Mezquita

The current literature at the ticket office describes the site as "Cordoba Cathedral" rather than the Mezquita - as if anyone would pay €8 to see an average cathedral such as this.  This change of name is accompanied by the literature you receive telling you how intolerant the Moors were of Christianity and how they seized and destroyed an earlier Visigoth church to build the Mezquita.  This is all rather different from the description of the enlightened, tolerant Moors that we were given here 18 years ago  (and which still continues in our latest guidebook). The historical interpretation of how the Moors operated seems to have changed since Muslim-Christian relationships have taken a turn for the worse in the last ten or so years.

For more than half a century Spain was on the front-line of religious tension between Muslims and Christians. Now as the same tensions resurface in the modern world it is interesting to see history being rewritten. But as much as some people want to emphasise the differences, Spain is in fact a blend of Moorish and Christian influences, as demonstrated by the food, the language, the dark complexion of the people, the architecture and many other aspects of culture.

The Mezquita/Cathedral too is a mix and perhaps it is best if we all recognise (1) that were it not for the earlier mosque few people would bother coming here to see the cathedral and (2) that if the cathedral had not been built within the mosque the Mezquita would be long gone by now. The crossing of the two has benefited both sides and that's the reality even if the purists might not like it.