The fifth UNESCO site we visited on this trip through Spain was Cordoba and it was my favorite. I just wish I had more time to visit everything more slowly.
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| Cordoba |
This postcard was sent by Adolfo
The historic centre of Córdoba, Spain is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. In 1984, UNESCO registered the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba as a World Heritage Site. A decade later, it expanded the inscription to include much of the old town. The historic centre has a wealth of monuments preserving large traces of Roman, Arabic, and Christian times.
The historic centre as defined by UNESCO comprises the buildings and narrow winding streets around the cathedral. It is bordered on the south by the River Guadalquivir so as to include the Roman Bridge and the Calahorra Tower, on the east by the Calle San Fernando, and on the north by the commercial centre. To the west, it includes the Alcázar and the San Basilio district. - in: wikipedia
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| Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba - Anteroom of the Mihrab |
The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba (Spanish: Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba), officially known by its ecclesiastical name of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción), is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia. Due to its status as a former mosque, it is also known as the Mezquita and as the Great Mosque of Córdoba.
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| Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba - Nave in front of the Mihrab |
The Great Mosque was constructed in 785 on the orders of Abd al-Rahman I, founder of the Islamic Emirate and later Caliphate of Córdoba. It was expanded multiple times afterwards under Abd ar-Rahman's successors up to the late 10th century. Among the most notable additions, Abd al-Rahman III added a minaret (finished in 958) and his son al-Hakam II added a richly-decorated new mihrab and maqsurah section (finished in 971).
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| Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba - Lateral view of the Mihrab |
The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista. The structure itself underwent only minor modifications until a major building project in the 16th century inserted a new Renaissance cathedral nave and transept into the center of the building. The former minaret, which had been converted to a bell tower, was also significantly remodelled around this time. Starting in the 19th century, modern restorations have in turn led to the recovery and study of some of the building's Islamic-era elements. Today, the building continues to serve as the city's cathedral and Mass is celebrated therein daily. - in: wikipedia
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| Calejja de las Flores |
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| Puerta del Puente, Roman Bridge and Triumph |
The Puerta del Puente (Spanish: "Gate of the Bridge") is a Renaissance gate in Córdoba, Andalusia. Built in the 16th century to commemorate a visit to the city by King Philip II, the gateway is located on the site of the previous Roman gates, linking the city with the Roman bridge and the Via Augusta. - in: wikipedia
The Roman bridge of Córdoba is a bridge in the Historic centre of Córdoba, Andalusia, southern Spain, originally built in the early 1st century BC across the Guadalquivir river, though it has been reconstructed at various times since. It is also known locally as the Old Bridge as for two thousand years, until the construction of the San Rafael Bridge in the mid-twentieth century, it was the city's only bridge across the river. - in: wikipedia
All along the 18th century, the devotion the people of Córdoba felt for San Rafael filled the squares of the city with images of the archangel; these images were called triumphs.
The Triumph of San Rafael resembles a steep stone hill, pierced by a small grotto, with a cylindrical tower at its top. The door, which is a round opening, is decorated with the crest of Bishop Barcia, and next to it a legend in Latin reads: “Only virtue distinguishes the man from the man“. At the entrance of the grotto, we can highlight two decorative elements, a lion with a sphynxed face which has a crest under its claw and represents the weapons of the city. On the other side, on the keystone of the arch, there is an eagle holding a marble board under its talon as a cartouche, where we can read the Archangel San Rafael’s oath before Father Roelas: “I swear to Crucified Christ that I am Angel Rafael to whom God has commissioned to guard this city“. - in: https://www.artencordoba.com/en/triumph-san-rafael-cordoba/
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| Alcázer de los Reyes Cristianos |
The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Spanish for "Castle of the Christian Monarchs"), also known as the Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval alcázar located in the historic centre of Córdoba (in Andalusia, Spain), next to the Guadalquivir River and near the Mosque-Cathedral. The fortress served as one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
It is a building of military character whose construction was ordered by the King Alfonso XI of Castile in the year 1328, on previous constructions (the Islamic-era Umayyad Alcázar, also the previous residence of the Roman Governor and the Customs). The architectural ensemble has a sober character in its exterior and splendid in its interior, with the magnificent gardens and courtyards that maintain a Mudéjar inspiration. - in: wikipedia
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| Monument to Maimonides |
Cordoba had been a seat of Jewish life in Andalusia for centuries. The Rambam (Maimonides), who was one of the most influential medieval Rabbis, was a notable resident of the town. There is a Historic Jewish Quarter, from the Medieval Era, that houses one of the oldest synagogues of the world; the Cordoba synagogue (built 1325). - in: wikipedia
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| Cordoba Synagogue |
Córdoba Synagogue (Spanish: Sinagoga de Córdoba) is a historic edifice in the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba, Spain, built in 1315. The synagogue's small size points to it having possibly been the private synagogue of a wealthy man. It is also possible that Córdoba's complex of buildings was a yeshivah, kollel, or study hall. Another possibility is that this was the synagogue of a trade guild, which converted a residence or one of the work rooms into the synagogue. The synagogue was decorated according to the best Mudejar tradition. - in: wikipedia
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| Christ of the Lanterns |
The Christ of Atonement and Mercy, popularly known as the Christ of the Lanterns (Spanish: Cristo de los Faroles), is a large Crucifix located at the Plaza de los Capuchinos in Cordoba, Spain.
The sculpture was created in 1794 by the sculptor Juan Navarro León under a commission by the Capuchin friar Diego José de Cádiz. Its popular name comes from the eight lanterns set on iron mounts that illuminate it. The current appearance of the sculpture has developed with the construction of a fence in the 20th century and the replacement of the lanterns with darker ones in 1984. - in: wikipedia
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