Day 28_Cordoba: the Mezquita

I am not cheap, I just like great cultural experiences.  I read that if you get to the Mezquita for mass, you can enter for free and bypass the 8 EUR entrance fee.  I didn't require any of the students to join me at that time--only those who wanted to come early and perhaps attend a Spanish mass.  At 8:30am, there were only about 20 people in the former mosque, now cathedral, so we had the world site to ourselves.

A few notes about the Mezquita, in case you don't know....Cordoba was at the height of Islamic culture from 756 - 1236.  The mosque began construction in 786 over the top of a razed Visigoth 6th Century church.  Eight hundred and fifty columns support the building, double arched for extra bracing, with all in a maroon candy stripe:  some painted, some built of brick.  The posts vary in marble, granite and alabaster, all recycled from ancient Roman ruins and conquered Visigoth churches. (This variation, however, does not detract from an cohesive overall design.)  When Cordoba was conquered by King Saint Ferdinand III in 1236, the city changed from Muslim to Catholic.  A smallish cathedral was inserted into the center of the mosque in the 16th century and though totally incongruent with the mosque, reveals an interesting mix of cultural design.

We attended mass in the choir of the Cathedral.  I have been to hundreds of masses so it is interesting to know the English version of what they are saying, but know nothing about what they are saying since it is in Spanish.  One of the students who attended said that most of the homily and readings were about the Resurrection--which makes sense since it is close to Easter and Pentecost.  This service was extremely traditional with 17 priests (don't know why), many in purple robes with Spanish lace undercoats.  The entire mass was sung, not spoken.

Outside of the cathedral, yet still within this stadium size compound, is the Patio de los Naranjos:  Patio of the Orange Trees.  Originally this place was where the Muslim attendees would do a ritual washing in the fountain prior to entering the mosque.  The orange trees in this area line up with the existing interior posts to form a symbolically extended place of worship.

The afternoon was spent relaxing for me:  the students were sent on a scavenger hunt for design details in the Juderia or medieval Jewish neighborhood of Cordoba.  I again went out for tapas.  We re-met three hours later to review their drawings and discussed what they had seen.