This picture is so wild! What a study in history! An old fortress situated strategically on top of a hill, structures from varying centuries surrounding it and an oh-so-modern 20th century crane in the background.
A view of the countryside between Granada and Cordoba. Don't let the hazy sky fool you, it was still plenty hot!
Serendipity rules! Although we didn't plan it we happened to arrive in Cordoba the final night of their annual Cordoba Patio Fiesta. This festival has been going on for centuries and includes a pilgrimage of the conquering Virgin of the Linares Sanctuary. They parade across the countryside with horsemen (I'm there baby!) and coaches with beautiful decorations. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the procession but we did get to visit many of the patios in the Patio, Iron Grille and Balcony Contest. These small side street patios are very typical of the old section of Cordoba.
Many patio owners were there to greet you and had guest books for you to sign. I wonder how many other people who live in Palouse, Washington, U.S.A. have signed their guest books! I'm hoping that someone will be curious enough to google Palouse.
These window boxes one first place in their division.
In general, I did not see a lot of vagrants or beggars in the places we visited. Here was an exception. This woman was, and possibly is at this very minute, at the entrance to the Mezquita, one of Cordoba's most popular sites.
She was not having any luck until she spied a fellow Muslim and went directly to her and was quickly rewarded with a gift of money. This made me curious. I knew that alms giving is required in Islam, but is it required in all circumstances? I learned that the term for required charity is zakat and for voluntary charity is sadaqah. There are strict rules in Islam about when it is permitted to beg, however as it's impossible to know the circumstances of a stranger I'm guessing that many would "rather be safe than sorry." As in all religions do you follow the letter or the spirit of the law? Interesting question.
One of the aspects of children that I most appreciate is their ability to make any place a playground. Here is a little boy hanging out in front of the cathedral while his mom was visiting with friends.
And here are what I imagine to be two old friends. I hope that my friends and I will be doing the same thing when we are that age; sitting on some steps on a warm summer's day having a nice chat.
We stayed in a hotel right across from the west entrance to the Mezquita. As you can see our room was very close and afforded me a great view.
This is the picture hanging over my bed in our hotel room. Hardly conducive to a restful night, would you agree?
The Torre del Alminar is a 305 foot high bell tower. It was built on the site of the former minaret. More on that later. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon your perspective the tower was closed on the day that we visited the Cathedral. I would have enjoyed the view, but admit that the appeal of a climb in temperatures in the upper 90's is not exactly my thing. It's not the height it's the heat!
We're now in the Patio de los Naranjos. Before I go on I must give you a condensed version of the fascinating history of this place, told primarily through the architecture.
For instance, the Torre del Alminar was built by Christians on the site of the original minaret built by Muslims 1200 years ago between 785 and 787. The Patio de los Naranjos is where the Muslim faithful would wash before prayer.
LET THE BATTLE BEGIN! The Mezquita was a wonder to me; one of the most fascinating buildings I've ever seen. It was an historical tour through religon, architecture, craftsmanship and aesthetics. Throughout history conquering armies of many religions razed the existing buildings, often using the materials to build something completely different. Yes, parts of the Mezquita were destroyed over the years, an example being the Torre del Alminar, built on the site of the original minaret. However, in the case of the Mezquita, the conquerors du jour tended to add on to the existing structure. Here's a perfect example of what I mean.
I wish that my pictures had turned out a bit better but you can still see the wild juxtaposition between the original mosque, dating to 785 and the cathedral, started in 1523.
This is a view from the original mosque looking into the section added in the 10th century by al Hakam II.
This is the ceiling of one of the chapels in the Mezquita.
The battle of architechtural styles began in earnest for me when we entered the Cathedral located in the center of the Mezquita. It's absolutely stunningly beautiful and yet...and yet...it suddenly felt like a lead weight landed on my chest. (Next six photos from www.sacred-destinations.com)
I slowly strolled around the Chapel taking in the amazing detail of the Churrigueresque stalls from 1758 carved by Pedro Duque Cornejo, and the chapel's magnificent organ.
The craftmanship is almost unbelievable. So why did I feel such a heaviness in my spirit in this beautiful place? And why did that heaviness lift immediately when I left the Chapel and reentered the Mosque?
Again, the craftmanship in both the Mosque and the Cathedral are amazing so it certainly had nothing to do with admiration for the skill and talent involved. For instance, in the Mosque you find hundreds (more than 850!) of columns of granite, jasper and marble, many of which were from Roman and Visigoth buildings. The complexity of the arches and they way they draw your eye in is also an example of Moorish architectural mastery. And you see the detail here as well. For instance, look at these photos of the Mihrab, or prayer niche, another addition in the 10th century by al Hakam II.
(Photo from Sacred-destinations.com)
And look at the detail in the ceiling.
(photo from Sacred-destination.com)
So why do I prefer this...
(photo from Sacred-destinations.com)
...to this?
(photo from Sacred-destinations.com)
I think it goes back to my visit to visit to Vezelay in the Bourgogne region of France.
(photo from Trekearth.com)
The town is lovely and the setting beautiful but that's not what I most remember. It's walking up the steep, narrow streets of the old city, seeing the Cathedral ahead at the top of the street, expecting another typical dark, musty church and stepping into this....
As we walked in the sounds of a female choir floated toward us and seemed to swirl all around us. That was a moment of pure spiritual bliss for me and I think this is the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Do you see the similarities between Sainte-Madeline Chapel of Vezelay and the Mosque of the Mezquita?
More amazing photos of the Mezquita can be found at the Sacred Destinations site.
Check out Trekearth for more pictures of Vezelay.
