A few days ago, Kristi and I decided to take a day trip to Cordoba, which is about 1.5h by train from Seville (under 1h if you take the high speed train). Between 750 and 1200 A.D., Cordoba was the capital of Moorish Spain and one of the leading centres of Muslim art and learning. Cordoba's history also includes a very large Jewish population, which was decimated during the Spanish Inquisition.
Cordoba is best known for La Mezquita, the astonishingly large cathedral/mosque that stands at the heart of La Juderia, the old Jewish quarter of the city. The first iteration of La Mezquita was built by Abd ar-Rahman I, beginning in 786, on the remains of an old church. Subsequent rulers of the Spanish Moor empire added on to the building until it reached a capacity of 15,000 parishoners. La Mezquita is an architectural wonder as the interior consists of row upon row of marble columns, supporting perfectly constructed arches (seen in the photo above). When the Christians recaptured the city in the 13th century, they transformed La Mezquita into a cathedral, but thankfully did not destroy the original mosque. We were both mesmerized by the building.
Nearby La Mezquita, is the old Cordoba synagogue (above), one of only three that survived the Spanish Inquisition. The synagogue was built in 1315 and is extremely small (I would bet that it could hold a maximum of 50 people for prayers). A lot of the building was destroyed over the years; however, some of the original stucco and stonework remains, including some of the Hebrew text that surrounded the interior (as seen in the photo below).
We also toured a small museum nearby the Synagogue dedicated to the history and customs of Jews in Spain. It was interesting to compare some of the local customs to those practiced at family gatherings and on Jewish holidays in Toronto.
We also really just enjoyed wandering around Cordoba and seeing the city (additional photos posted here). It was perfect for a day trip and similar to some of the other smaller cities that we visited in Portugal. We had some great coffee and pastries, a light lunch and then headed back to Seville by train.
very interesting info. now off to work on the farm you go.......... mom
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Joel Kraemer's biography of Maimonides and he describes the jewish quarter's close proximity to the great mosque and how that offered a sense of protection and fostered relationship between the two groups. Your pictures are wonderful to see and I loved reading your travel log. Thanks!
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