Mosque – Bel Tower – History – Curiosities – Schedules – Free – Audio Guides
If you want to know the history of the Mosque of Cordoba you are at the right place. Here you have a small summary ordered by dates and times with the main changes that the monument has passed since its construction began in the seventh century.
Contenidos
And for you to see it graphically, we have prepared a video with the different constructions and important extensions.
Basilica of San Vicente
Now we know that the Mosque was built on the basilica of San Vicente, an old basilical building of Visigothic origin. Inside the oratory, in an exhibition area of San Vicente, you can still see some of its remains.
Muslim era
year 786
Mosque Construction
The Islamic population of the city requires a suitable place of worship, in the eighth century Abderramán I orders to build the Mosque. This first building is formed by longitudinal ships to the Quibla wall.
In the same year the Minaret is built to call the faithful to prayer. It is known through archaeological tastings the exact place where it was located, just 10 meters from the current Bell Tower.
year 833
First extension
Abderramán II was commissioned to enlarge the space of the Mosque for the first time. He does this by extending the oratory to the south and the courtyard to the north. The Mihrab situation had to be changed and the Minaret dismantled to build a new taller one, just ten meters from the previous one.
year 962
Second extension
Once again the prayer hall is extended to the south. Alhaken II orders its construction, asserting the splendor of the Caliphate in Cordoba. For this second extension, a new Quibla and Maqsura are built, precisely the one that has come to this day.
year 991
Last extension
Finally, Almanzor extends for a third time the Mosque and the Ablution Courtyard. This time it is done to the east, with the proximity of the river there are no more extensions to the south. With this last extension, the initial surface of the set is almost doubled and it leaves the great Mosque with the dimensions it now has.
In the following video you can see the different stages of the monument …
Christian era
year 1146
Consecration of the monument for Christian worship
In the 12th century, Alfonso VII entered the city under the command of his army, together with the King, the archbishop of Toledo Don Raimundo. Through a mass the oratory for Christian worship is consecrated and a stage begins that will completely change the history of the Mosque of Cordoba.
year 1236
Cathedral Transformation
In the skylight of Alhaken II the primitive Main Chapel is built and the building is consecrated as a Cathedral. Years later it is called Villaviciosa Chapel.
year 1489
Construction of the current Cathedral
To give the importance that the Cathedral of Cordoba deserves, the one we know now is built in the center of the oratory, right in the area that Alhakén II expanded.
The extension works of the cathedral will continue until the year 1748, when the set is finished with the “Sillería del Coro”.
ayear 1593
Transformation of the Minaret in the Bell Tower
Due to the damages suffered over several centuries, the architect Hernán Ruiz III plans to cover the old minaret with a thick wall, forming the current Tower and the body of the campaigns.
Today you can see how the old Minaret was going up to the Bell Tower, since it is inside and differs from the last, much more modern construction.
year 1597
Orange Tree courtyard
Under the mandate of Bishop Francisco de Reinoso, the old Ablution Courtyard is reconsidered and the image we know now is given, with different areas, streets and fountains. The trees chosen are orange, palm and cypress trees.
year 1984
World Heritage Declaration
It should be remembered that the monumental complex was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. A well-deserved recognition of a monument that houses the history of human beings over several centuries.
So far a summary of the history of the Mosque of Cordoba. Starting with the Muslim stage and its various extensions, until reaching the Christian era in which the monument underwent several important changes that give it the uniqueness it has now. To delve deeper follow the link below.