Inside the Mezquita
 
 
I thought the interior of the Mezquita was a hodge-podge of columns and arches. In most of its areas, it was gloomy and it reflected very little architectural harmony. But I suppose that's to be expected in a building constructed over a period of some ten centuries with the "help" of innumerable architects, religious leaders, and political powers from both the eastern and western worlds. What a polyglot of architectural styles! Nothing seems to "fit."

There's a forest of columns--hundreds and hundreds of them:

There's no less a mish-mash of archways, and they reflect all sorts of architectural tastes and periods:

Well, that's how I felt about the Mezquita. I know my opinion isn't "politically correct." Others may have strong feelings to the contrary. Dot certainly does.

Dot disagreed wholeheartedly with me about the interior of the Mezquita. She was enthusiastic about the profusion of columns and arches. She found the variety fascinating. She felt that the contrast between spaces was stimulating--some areas dark and cloistered, other areas open and spacious. She said there was certainly no monotony to this building!

Well, everybody is free to have an opinion, and I STILL love Dot despite hers. (You've gotta admit--she had a more positive attitude towards the Mezquita than I had.)

Having expressed my overall impression of the building, I must agree with Dot that various individual features--taken on their own--were indeed awe-inspiring.

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The dome was breathtaking . . .

 
Some of the statuary was eye-catching . . .

 
And some was grim . . .
 
Religious items, like a huge monstrance, were true museum pieces . . .

 
The ornate choir area was a masterpiece of the woodcarver's art . . .
 
And, at the Mezquita, we heard our first reference to the great earthquake of 1522. Its epicenter was Lisbon--but it caused enormous damage throughout the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.. Here in Cordoba, far from Lisbon, the great quake left a substantial crack in the wall of the Mezquita. (Which makes one think that maybe all those columns and arches weren't such a bad idea after all!)

 

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