Cultural riches of Cordoba

Gemma Nisbet finds a mix of traditions in Cordoba.

“If you have two cultures, you have twice the riches,” says Enrique, our local guide in Cordoba, as we stand inside the city’s famous Mezquita. Also known as the Mosque-Cathedral, it’s a spectacular synthesis of a mosque dating from the 8th century, when the city was under Moorish rule, and later Christian additions built after the Reconquest of 1236, when the structure was converted into a Catholic cathedral.

Horse and buggy in Cordoba. Picture: Gemma Nisbet

Built on the site of a Roman temple, it also incorporates elements of an earlier Visigoth Catholic church, adding to the cultural echoes within its walls.

We’re here on a day trip from Seville, part of a week-long journey through Portugal and southern Spain with luxury coach touring company Insight Vacations. And, looking around the Mezquita, you’d be hard pressed to argue that its riches are not abundant.

Bell tower of the Cordoba Mezquita, surrounded by orange trees. Picture: Gemma Nisbet

We enter through a large courtyard filled with palms and orange trees, the Torre del Alminar at its centre. The latter is an ornate baroque-style bell tower, constructed over the original minaret in the 1300s, rising high above the surrounding walls.

Inside, we’re greeted by a dimly lit space filled with columns, joined by double arches of white and terracotta-orange, and stretching into the distance. The striking, repetitive visual effect was, apparently, designed to mimic palm trees in an oasis. It’s a vast space with more than 850 columns.

The other main Moorish feature of the interior is the mihrab, the prayer niche which indicates the direction to Mecca, decorated with gilded Byzantine mosaic cubes. In front is the maqsurah, a chamber for use by the caliph and his court, with scalloped arches, ornate plasterwork and a gorgeous domed ceiling with skylights. Here, Enrique also points out some characters carved into one of the columns: the signature of the mason who made it more than 1000 years ago.

A forest of columns inside the Cordoba Mezquita. Picture: Gemma Nisbet

There are Catholic chapels of various sizes throughout the building but the most impressive is the cathedral nave at its centre, drawing us with the sound of pipe-organ music. Begun in the 16th century during the reign of Carlos V, the bright, light space is a spectacular contrast to the darker, more understated atmosphere of the columned hall. Built over two centuries, it combines various architectural styles and its main altar in particular is a riot of detailing: marble and gilt, paintings and statues and stained glass. Opposite is the choir made from glossy mahogany and intricately carved to depict biblical scenes. Mass and other services are still held here regularly, Enrique says.

He goes on to meticulously decipher the religious imagery on display, but added to the visual and aural bombardment, it’s too much information to take in. I can only imagine how overawed I might feel were I, say, a peasant visiting during the Middle Ages, having previously seen no building bigger than the village church. But Carlos V, the monarch who granted permission for the construction of the nave, was said to have been rather less impressed, telling the local priests: “You have built what you or others might have built anywhere but you have destroyed something that was unique in the world.”

The richly detailed high altar in the central nave in the Mezquita in Cordoba. Picture: Gemma Nisbet

Indeed, one of my travelling companions expresses regret that the old mosque was not preserved in its entirety, although it’s far from certain that the 75 per cent of the Moorish structure which remains would have survived the centuries – particularly the Inquisition – had it not been converted to a church. For me, though, it’s the contrast between the two elements that makes the Mezquita compelling. Taken separately, they’d still be interesting, and beautiful in their very different ways. But together, they add up to something greater than the sum of their parts, reflecting the twists and turns of local history. As Enrique says, “You have the best book to read the history of Cordoba in the cathedral”.

This is a history that’s ongoing, of course. Since the early 2000s, some Spanish Muslims have campaigned for permission to pray in the building, and have so far been rebuffed. It’s a contentious, highly emotive issue but it goes to show that the story of this building continues to be written.

Gemma Nisbet travelled courtesy of Insight Vacations.

FACT FILE

A day trip to Cordoba is an option on a number of Insight’s 2015 Spanish itineraries including the nine-day Amazing Spain and Portugal itinerary, which also includes visits to Seville, Lisbon, Madrid, Granada and Salamanca, and costs from $2171 per person twin share, valid to April 30 (single supplement from $370). insightvacations.com or 1300 301 672.