Photo Album: Mosque - Cathedral of Cordoba Spain

Views of the interior of the Cathedral (once Mosque)

The Church - Cathedral of Cordoba Spain, popularly know as the Mosque of Cordoba or the "Mezquita", stands over a Christian church built in the Visigothic period (5th C). In 711, after Moorish conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, it was used as a Mosque. In 786, Abd al-Rahman I tore down St Vicente church and erected the first section of the Great Mosque in its place, re-using much of the church's materials. His descendants expanded the building twice towards the river, and the ruler Almanzor made a final enlargement in 988. In 1236, following Cordoba's fall to Ferdinand of Castile and after over 500 years of use as a mosque, the site was re-consecrated Christian. The Cannons decided to erect a cathedral in the center of the mosque in 1523, tearing down the center to make room. The enclosed choir area now blocks some of the original views, yet the Mosque remains sublime. With the richest areas still untouched and its extensive vistas of columns and double arches, it is the foremost Islamic monument in Spain and a unique example of the inter-play of Christian and Moslem cultures in Spain. Click on the thumbnails below for larger photos in JPG format.

Also see: Info Cordoba: Cordoba Spain tourist information home | Cordoba Mosque | More photos of Cordoba and the Mezquita