The Mezquita-Catedral de Cordoba

I’m not one to get too excited about religious history or architecture. But, today I have an exception.

I think ‘excited’ is the wrong word to use when describing my feelings about this place. I think perhaps, ‘moved' is a better word. I’m not one to wax eloquently about a religious building, but I was moved by the beauty and peace of this place - this space. It is wonderful.

We almost didn't go in.

We had one afternoon to walk around Cordoba. Like millions of other travelers arriving in Cordoba over the centuries, we headed towards the river and the mosque/cathedral.

After walking the narrow district, We munched lukewarm empanadas in the courtyard. My accomplice asked me if I wanted to go in, and to be honest, I didn’t really care either way.

My accomplice is the one who likes old churches and mosques, not me. And she had already seen it years ago. So, we headed out and walked about half a block when she stopped and said, “Can we see it? I really want to.”

I said, “Sure. Why not? We’re here.” And with that we got tickets and headed in.

The space is just that, spacious. It is a vast temple. It’s almost too much for the senses, but not in a modern sense..

It’s a quiet space, or supposed to be. But the murmur of a hundred humans and their footsteps can't be helped. I didn't mind. It felt like it had space for me to be, and contemplate.

It's pleasantly dark. It carries a mood, “Please respect this place. Please keep quiet. This is a space for contemplation and prayer.”

The sheer beauty and detail of every structure, arch, dome, painting, statue, tile, tomb, sarcophagus and four dozen other religious and architectural terms and items I don’t know is truly great. I think It’s the most amazing building I think I've ever seen. It kind of makes my efforts building my art studio seem a little paltry in comparison. Ha!

As a builder of beautiful things, I am left in awe of the craftsmanship and geometric mastery that went into this place. They probably had more than just one guy working on it.

Some questions in my mind: How did they decide on the Geometry? Who designed it? Did they draw it up first? How long did it take? Who decided how to decorate? Are there relics here? Among others.

But more sincerely, as I walked half a dozen laps around the temple, (and I recommend this should you come here), I thought about what this place would be like in its heyday when it was a mosque, and later as a cathedral. I tried to imagine this gigantic space filled with people praying. Imagine thousands of devout souls, side by side, together in this beautiful place. What energy!

Like I said, it’s a vast space. As I walked, I thought about the message the builders were trying to impart to us…

In a historical sense, It’s a complicated place. It was build and used by the Moors before being taken remade into a Catholic cathedral. There are enough people who have written about that without my commenting on it.

Although, I will say Catholics way back in the day, didn't usually keep the Moorish structure unless it suited them. More often they tore it down and rebuilt their own building. In this place however, they built a cathedral inside of the original mosque. It’s just that big. It’s just that beautiful.

Pictures can't do this place justice. But, I’ll offer a few.