The Great Mosque
The Great Mosque has a colorful history. Originally this site held a Catholic basilica built by the Visigoths around the year 600. When the Muslims conquered Spain in 711, the Basicila was divided into two halves to serve both Catholics and Muslims. This sharing lasted until 784 when the Emir purchased the Catholic half and then demolished the entire structure to make way for the construction of the Great Mosque. In architecture and many features the Great Mosque was patterned after the Great Mosque of Damascus.
Construction begain in 784 on this Great Mosque. It stood as one of the largest mosques and structures in the world, with additions being built until 987. It remained a mosque until the Spanish Reconquista in 1236. The Spanish then converted it to a Roman Catholic cathederal, and constructed at the center of the building a traditional cathederal. As you will see, the contrast between the two couldn't be greater.
The traditional bell tower was built to replace one of the minarets. The large courtyard is beautiful, paved with small stones and having small irrigation channels to each citrus tree.
There is a large fountain that supplies the water and provides the calming sound of babbeling water. The main entrance to the Mosque-Cathederal is in the far right in this photo.
Inside is simply awe-inspiring in color, shape and silence. There are 856 columns made of jasper, onyx, marble and granite.
The sheer size is amazing.
On the far right is located a Mihrab, or prayer niche. It is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. See below.
The Mihrab contains a small room for prayer. Look up at the geometric designs topped by a fabulous dome of intersecting arches. All covered with flowing designs of plants in green and gold.
The entry door to the prayer room is embellished with floral and script designs.
The side archways are geometrically complex, and beautiful.
Deep inside the mosque you can see a brighter area, on the left in this photo, which houses the Catholic Cathederal that has been inserted into the heart of this large mosque.
This Cathederal is a stereotype Catholic design, and could be a major church anywhere.
But, it exists in the middle of one of the most significant Islamic buildings in the world.
The cathederal and all of the Catholic art and images can't mask the brillance of the mosque. As a postscript it is interesting to note that since 2000, Spanish Muslims have lobbied the Catholic Church for permission to pray in the Mosque. This Muslim effort has been rejected on multiple occasions both by the Catholic authorities in Spain as well as the Vatican.