THE MOSQUE--SIDE OF THE CAPTIVE’S COLUMN.]
carry it. It was placed in the pulpit in order that the Imam might read
in it during the “azala;” and when the ceremony was concluded, it was
carried to another place, where it remained, carefully guarded, with the
gold and silver vases destined for the great celebration of Ramadhan.
The chronicler, Ambrosio de Morales, says that the “nimbar” was a sort
of chariot on four wheels, and that it had but seven steps. It was to be
seen in the cathedral of Cordova as late as the middle of the sixteenth
century, when it was dismembered, and its materials employed in the
construction of a Christian altar.
The place, which from the slight indications of Edrisi appears to have
served as treasure-room, was a sort of chapel, which is situated to-day
not far from the site of the ancient “mihrab,” to the north of the
present “maksurrah.” In this way it can easily be supposed that the
noblest apartment of the mosque was completely closed to the people on
the north and south sides; and, being occupied by the principal
personages of the court, it would have been difficult for any
irreverence to have been shown to the Imam or to the venerated
“Mushaf”--Koran. The two “maksurrahs” remained, the one facing the
other, both occupying exactly the same space; that is, at least, from
east to west, supposing that they cut the three centre naves of the
eleven which are in the mosque. Both these “maksurrahs,” or screens,
have disappeared; and at the present time we cannot form the slightest
idea as to their design. Almost the only thing which has remained intact
of that time is the sumptuous space of the three chapels occupied by the
“maksurrah” of Hakam; and of the spaces occupied by the old
“maksurrahs,” only two disfigured chapels exist--that of the chief nave,
and that of the next nave to the east. The latter is divided into two
parts by a platform some feet above the floor of the mosque. In the
upper portion the “Alicama” or preliminary for the prayer was made; and
in the lower part, which still has the form of an underground chapel,
the treasure was kept. The centre chapel, the present Chapel of
Villaviciosa, was reserved for the khalif when he did not act as Imam;
and in the west chapel, which exists no longer, was the seat of the Cadi
of the Aljama. No trace of the original interior decoration of these
chapels remains at the present day, and externally, only the arches
facing the “mihrab,” and which are similar to those of the façade of the
vestibule, are left.
When everything had been completed internally to the satisfaction of
Hakam, it occurred to him that the fountains in the Court of Ablutions
did not harmonise with the grandeur of the mosque; he therefore
commanded that they should be replaced by four splendid founts, or
troughs, each cut out of a single piece of marble--two for the women in
the eastern part, and two for the men in the west. It was his wish that
these basins should be of magnificent proportions, and made from the
same quarry. The work took much time, engaged many people, and
necessitated the expenditure of a great deal of money; but it was
happily executed, and the troughs were brought to their destination by a
sloping way, specially constructed for the purpose, on great carts, each
drawn by seventy stout oxen. The water, which was brought by the
aqueducts of Abd-er-Rahman II., and was stored in a great reservoir
covered with marble, flowed night and day; and after supplying the wants
of the mosque, was carried off by three conduits to feed as many
fountains for public use in the north, east, and west of the city.
The great Vizier, Almanzor, considerably enlarged the mosque; many
Christians, loaded with chains, being employed amongst the workmen. The
eastern wall was thrown
[Illustration: CORDOVA
MOSQUE, NORTH SIDE--EXTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF ST. PEDRO.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
GENERAL VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF THE MASURA AND ST.
FERDINAND.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
DETAIL OF THE CHAPEL OF MASURA.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--ELEVATION OF THE GATE OF THE SANCTUARY OF THE KORAN.]
down, and the foundations of a new wall were laid one hundred and eighty
feet from the old one, throughout the entire length from north to south.
In the covered part of the building eight great naves were added, all of
equal size, and having the same number of arches as those already
existing; so that the thirty-three minor naves, which cut the principal
naves at right angles, were lengthened one hundred and eighty feet,
running from east to west. The new part formed thirty-five transverse
naves, where there had formerly been only thirty-three, because the
wing, with the residences which fell to the east of the “mihrab” which
was not lengthened, occupied the space of the two extra naves. The
prolongation of the minor naves was not carried out with the slavish and
monotonous uniformity of modern days. The Arab architects did not
understand symmetry as we do to-day, and they satisfied themselves with
producing unity by means of variety, without seeking a forced
correspondence of similar parts. In the part added by Almanzor it was
considered useless to give the same dimensions to the buttresses of the
north wall as the primitive wall possessed, and consequently a space of
six feet in length was gained from the principal naves at the north
side. But as this extra width could not be given to the first of the
lesser naves, as the height of the columns would not allow of it, the
architect doubtless thought that instead of dividing up this small
excess equally among the thirty-three arches in the length from north to
south, it would be preferable and more effective to preserve the first
three or four naves in line, adding a nave in the space gained by the
diminution in the bulk of the buttresses, and by enlarging the
succeeding naves wherever it seemed most convenient. As a result of
this, the first transverse nave of the lengthened part, on account of
the great narrowness of its intercolumniation, was not able to preserve
the full span of its arches. It was necessary, therefore, to bring the
latter nearer together and to break their curve, in order to keep the
desired height, and thus probably for the first time, Pedro de Madrazo
considers, was seen in the edifices of Arab Spain, the pointed arch
which was destined to totally change the physiognomy of monumental art
in the Middle Ages.
The arch, broken in this manner at the culminating point of its curve,
presently adopted in this small nave all the varieties of decoration to
which it was susceptible. Here in effect, in this small space of barely
seven feet wide and one hundred and eighty-five long, architecture
exhausted at one time, and at the first attempt, all the shapes of
arches, which were to be employed in the four following centuries; a
circumstance which was quite fortuitous. It was not the intention to
dissimulate the enlargement of which we are speaking; on the contrary,
it was decided to signalise it in an unmistakable manner, for which
purpose a row of stout pillars was raised, where the old east wall
stood, and where at present is the dividing line between the eleventh
and twelfth greater naves, the pillars of which were suitably united to
each other by great arches, springing from beautiful columns in pairs,
built into the pillars. The old classical art would never have confided
such wide spaces to supports so delicate as are these columns, which in
couples send the bold festooned arches, which serve as an opening to the
edifice of Almanzor, across to the opposite pair. But the architects of
the time of Abd-er-Rahman I. and of Hakam II. had already successfully
attempted a similar feat in the grand arcade of the inner façade, which
looks on the Court, and in the strengthening arcade which divides the
primitive mosque from its prolongation to the south, so there was no
reason to fear its repetition. To-day we pass, with a certain respect,
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--GATE OF THE SANCTUARY OF THE KORAN.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--MOSAIC DECORATION OF THE SANCTUARY, 965-1001.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--RIGHT-HAND SIDE GATE WITHIN THE PRECINCTS OF THE
“MAKSURRAH.”]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--SECTION OF THE CUPOLA OF THE MIHRAB.]
under these bold arches of eight metres elevation, and six, seven, and
even eight metres in width, when we consider that they rest on columns
of some three metres high, including their capitals; and only the
stoutness of the pillars into which these graceful pairs are built
assures us that they will not fall to the ground, wearied with such a
supernatural effort.
For the greater solidity of the wide edifice, added by Almanzor, a line
of great pillars and arches, which marked the southern limit of the
original mosque, was lengthened as far as the eastern wall, crossing at
right angles the strengthening arcade already mentioned stretching from
north to south; so that the actual Aljama was divided into four unequal
parts, separated from each other, probably, by wooden screens and
partitions. The part added by Hakam II., at whose extremities rose the
old and the new “maksurrah,” was called “The Noble Apartment,” and was
reserved for the nobility and the personages of the Court, the portion
close to the “mihrab” being occupied by the ulema, alkatibes, almocries,
and other ministers of the temple, and the Imam. The three remaining
parts were for the people, and most likely the sexes were divided, for
it is certain, from the assurances of an historian cited by Ahmed
El-Makkari, that there were two doors inside the naves leading to the
women’s part.
The art of the decorations of Almanzor’s prolongation is not
particularly attractive, the arches seem to be copied from those of the
old door, and the only circumstance worthy of mention is that all the
capitals of the columns are equal, and of the same form, in contrast
with the great variety and richness of the capitals in the primitive
mosque, and in the additions of Hakam II. The delicate and uniform
construction of the mighty “hagib” may be mentioned as a purely
archæological item, and also that the names of the artificers who made
them are frequently to be seen in the foundations and shafts of the
columns: _e.g._, Mondair, Mostauz, Motobarack, Fayr, Masud, Tasvir,
Nassar, Kabir, Amin, Jalem-al-Amery, Hachchi, Tsamil, Bekr, Casim.
With the part added by Almanzor, the mosque is said to have formed a
great rectangular quadrilateral 742 feet long from north to south, and
472 feet wide from east to west, enclosed by four great battlemented
walls, fortified with square watch-towers, varying in height. The south
wall, which reached a formidable height on account of the declivity of
the ground, was adorned with nineteen towers, including those flanking
it at both angles, which were more spacious and common to the two walls
of east and west. The western wall had fourteen towers, and the north
five, including the majestic minaret over the principal door; and,
finally, the eastern wall was fortified by ten towers, all corresponding
to the part which had to bear the pressure of the naves, and the wall of
the Court at that side had no towers at all. The greater number of these
towers remain, and the wide old walls also exist.
There were twelve outer gates to the mosque, ten leading into the
edifice, and twenty-one interior doors, without counting those of the
dependencies to the temple and that of the khalif’s private passage,
nineteen in the façade of the courtyard, and two which led to the
women’s part of the building. All the outer doors were for the most part
rectangular, formed by arched lintels set into ornamented horseshoe
arches, their keystones were either white, or of alternate colours, the
white being richly decorated with stucco ornaments in relief, and the
coloured with beautiful mosaic of red and yellow brick, cut into tiny
pieces. The horseshoe arch is set in a beautiful frame,
[Illustration: PLATE XXI.
CORDOVA.
White marble pilaster of principal nave.
Ornaments and arches in the Mihrab.
keystones of chapel of the
Capitals rough-hewn.
Finished capital specimen of Arabian sculpture.]
[Illustration: PLATE XXII.
CORDOVA
Details of Moorish Work.]
[Illustration: PLATE XXIII.
Details, Villaviciosa Chapel and Mihrab.]
[Illustration: PLATE XXIV.
Details of Moorish Work.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--DOME OF THE SANCTUARY.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE.
ROOF OF THE CHAPEL OF THE MASURA AND ST. FERDINAND.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
VILLAVICIOSA CHAPEL.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--DETAIL OF THE HALL OF CHOCOLATE.]
richly ornamented as are the tympana between the arch and the lintel,
the facias and the little windows of perforated alabaster, which, now
enclosed in arches resting on little marble pillars and grouped in
graceful pairs, flank the door. Some of these have projecting cornices
forming a parapet with small dentalated towers, which give the sacred
building the appearance of a fortress, and recall the warlike origin of
the Mohammedan religion. All the outer gates have inscriptions, with
invocations and verses taken from the Koran.
Hakam II. had an apartment constructed in the western part of the
temple, which was to serve for the distribution of alms, and here any
poor wanderer, who happened to be in the city without protection or
means of subsistence, could obtain the wherewithal to continue his
journey. For this purpose the khalif endowed the establishment in a
splendid manner. It was not exactly a hostel, as its space was too
limited; and, besides, Hakam had already established other places of
lodging for poor travellers outside the mosque, one of these being quite
near this “Dar-as-asdaca,” or “Alms Chamber.” Poor students, too, were
looked after, and received a daily meal, and even small sums of money.
The wise men received annual pensions from the treasury, according to
their merit and personal circumstances.
The Alms Chamber was, properly speaking, only intended for the
distribution of alms to the poor. Its beautiful door, to-day blocked up,
can still be seen, both inside and out, in the wall of the mosque, and,
according to El-Makkari, it was the most beautiful of the western side.
It is no longer possible to form an exact idea of the aspect of the
chamber as it was when Hakam II. completed its decoration. He covered it
with gilded and painted stucco work, which turned its walls into
beautiful filigree, and to-day this apartment is half forgotten, after
having served as a vestibule to the first Christian cathedral of
Cordova. No one would think that this place, beyond St. Michael’s
postern, and separated from the body of the building by a wretched
partition and a door of pine-wood, is the ancient “Dar-as-asdaca.” For
many years it was used as a Chapter Hall, and the archives of the
extinct music-school, with its choir books, were kept here.
The actual dimensions of the mosque varied at different periods, and are
difficult to establish. One authority says, that in length from north to
south the mosque measured six hundred and forty-two feet, in width four
hundred and sixty-two feet. Mr. Waring, in his _Notes of an Architect in
Spain_, describes the mosque as an oblong of three hundred and
ninety-four feet by three hundred and sixty feet. The famous Orange
Court is in length two hundred and twenty feet, and, being within the
boundary walls of the mosque, it is probably included in the former
measurement.
It is also impossible to fix, with any degree of certainty, the number
of columns contained in the mosque during the time of Mohammedan
supremacy. Ambrosio de Morales, and the Infante Don Juan Manuel, both of
whom described the mosque before the columns were reduced in number by
the alterations to which the building has been subjected, estimate the
figures at one thousand and twelve, but it is only too certain that when
the mosque was converted into a Christian church very many were removed
to make room for altars and chapels.
No less than one hundred columns were comprised within the “maksurrah,”
which was further provided with three doors of exquisite workmanship,
one of which was
[Illustration: CORDOVA
ENTRANCE TO THE VESTIBULE OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
MIHRAB OR SANCTUARY OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--ARCH AND FRONT OF THE ABD-ER-RAHMAN AND MIHRAB CHAPELS.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
ENTRANCE TO THE CHAPEL OF THE MIHRAB.]
covered with plates of pure gold, as were the walls of the “mihrab.” The
floor of the “maksurrah,” it is said, was paved with silver, and the
pavements adjacent to it were covered with “sofeysafa.”
The ceiling of the mosque was formerly covered with oval cartouches,
bearing appropriate monitory inscriptions and pious sentences--such as,
“Be not one of the negligent,” “Felicity,” “Blessing,” “There is no God
but God, to whom all beings address themselves in their need”--thus
inciting the minds of the faithful to contemplation and prayer. Some few
of the cartouches are still remaining; but the inscriptions were, for
the most part, carefully effaced when the mosque was transformed into a
Christian temple. Those in the “mihrab,” and in the angles near the
tower, may yet be seen.
The number of brazen chandeliers of different sizes in the mosque is
computed at upwards of two hundred, and the number of cups attached, and
containing oil, at upwards of seven thousand. Some of the oil-reservoirs
for the great lamps were Christian bells, deprived of their clappers;
inverted, and suspended from the roof. It is known that in the many
expeditions against the Christian, bells were frequently removed from
the churches and brought to Cordova. Sometimes the metal of the bells
was recast into forms more in accordance with the Moorish style of
ornament.
The following rites had to be observed in the service of the mosque: The
ornaments were to consist only of brass, silver or glass lamps, which
were lighted at night when the doors were opened for prayer. Some
striking design was painted on the west wall, in order that the faithful
should look in that direction. There was only one pulpit, which was on
wheels, as the sermon was preached from any spot the Talvi wished.
The courts of the mosque were paved with porcelain tiles, over which
pure water could flow. Those who did not wash themselves at home were
obliged to do so in the Court of Ablutions before entering the sacred
precincts. All shoes had to be left at the door of the mosque, and no
buildings, such as inns and hostelries, and disreputable houses, were
allowed in the neighbourhood. No Jews were allowed to pass before it.
Women were not permitted to enter some mosques, because they were not
circumcised, the sultana alone having an oratory, where she prayed for
all women.
At midnight a mezzin mounted the minaret, and cried out: “God is great,
to pray is better than to sleep”; at two o’clock in the morning he said
the same; at four o’clock he placed a lantern at the end of a rod and
said, “Day is breaking, let us praise God”; at the fourth prayer he
hoisted a white flag, which was lowered at one o’clock, saying, “God is
great.” Friday was their feast day, and a blue banner was hoisted at
dawn, and left floating till half-past ten. The fifth prayer was at four
o’clock in the afternoon, in winter at three; when the evening star
appeared, the sixth prayer was called out; and at nine o’clock the last
prayer of the day was said. Sand glasses were employed to mark the
passage of the hours.
The state of Cordova died with Almanzor; and the races, who alternately
took possession of the throne, did not leave the least trace in the
mosque. Finally, St. Ferdinand, King of Castile and Toledo, completely
routed the Moors, and the mezquita was purified and dedicated to Our
Lady of the Assumption. The following is an extract from the archives of
the cathedral: “Let it be known that I, Ferdinand, by the grace of God,
King of Castile, with the consent and approval of Dona Berenguele, my
Mother, and
[Illustration: CORDOVA
VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE MIHRAB CHAPEL.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--DETAILS OF THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
THE MOSQUE--MARBLE SOCLE IN THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: CORDOVA
BASEMENT PANEL OF THE FAÇADE OF THE MIHRAB.]
of Dona Juana, the Queen my wife, and of my children, Alfonso,
Frederico, and Ferdinand, make a deed of gift to God of the Cathedral
Church of Santa Maria of Cordova, and to you, Master Lope, my beloved
chosen Bishop of the same, from now on, and to your successors, and the
Chapter of Canons, &c. November 12th, 1238.” This pious monarch founded
a chapel dedicated to St. Clement, which was erected against the south
wall, embracing the space occupied by three naves from east to west, and
by four transverse naves from north to south. This space was shut in
with walls, leaving the two Arab arches inside intact, the altar
dedicated to the saint being placed against the east wall. Many nobles
followed the king’s example, and founded chapels, amongst them being
that of St. Inez, erected by Piedro Diaz de Haro, in 1250, in the tenth
principal nave, counting from the west wall, also against the south
wall, and only occupying two transverse naves. St. Ferdinand endowed the
cathedral so richly that on his death its benefices were very
considerable. He was succeeded by his son, Alfonso X., who showed the
same religious spirit as his father, giving large grants to the funds of
the cathedral; and, in the year 1258, erecting the grand chapel,
conceding many privileges to the work and the fabric. The donations made
by other Christians up to this time had been of a very modest nature;
and, as the Jews of Cordova were expending great sums on the erection of
a synagogue, it seems as though the Christians were shamed into greater
generosity to the cathedral, for at the same time the famous commander,
Domingo Muñoz, erected the chapel of St. Bartholomew, and the chapter
and the king decided to turn the mosque into a real Christian cathedral
in developing Western architecture. The commander made his chapel in the
angle formed by the inner south wall and the west side of the
vestibule, or “maksurrah,” of Hakam II., taking the area of two
principal and two transverse naves. As this chapel could not be lighted
from outside on account of the west wing of the “mihrab,” and the
khalif’s secret passage being behind, it was illuminated with light from
the temple, a pointed door and four windows being made in the north
wall.