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| Interior Cordoba Cathedral. |
Cordoba
Magic.
Nothing quite prepares you for the magic and impact of Aljama
Mosque’s labyrinth of columns that greet the visitor on entering Cordoba Cathedra
in Cordoba. No photo can ever do justice to the sheer beauty and simplicity of this
building as the sea of tiered columns stretch away into seeming infinity.
The world’s largest Islamic monument and I believe third
largest mosque conveys a feeling of spirituality that is almost impossible to ignore
or explain greets you. Such is this impact of the interior that the Christian
church built within the walls after the Moorish departure from Spain fail to
create a similar feeling. The integration of Gothic and Baroque architectural
detail although sensitively handled to complement the Moorish arches fail to convey
the same sense of religious purpose. I must confess I am not a great devotee of
Spanish Catholic church building that always seems to me overly indulgent.
This display wealth and self-indulgence fails to inspire the
same spiritual qualities as the mosaic Mibrab wall at the far end of the
interior. The aesthetic impact of both Mibrah and Maqsura hold and transfix the
majority of onlookers despite the abstract nature of the design. During my
visit this section of the building by far attracted the most visitors. These
wall appear to overpower all the Catholic statuary and religious painting crammed
into every available space. Gold is all very well and no doubt displays a feeling of security, but it also conveys a greater concern about self-importance than religious belief.
I spent the several hours in this wonderful building drawing
and just sitting among the sheer beauty of the interior. However It is a great
pity that the Catholic Church has neglected to maintain the building exterior
walls were large sections are in a state of slow disintegration.
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