Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-28
MOSQUE OF C0RD0VA
Unlike Anything Else in the
World.
USED BY CHRISTIANS
ORIGINAL TEMPLE TO JANUS
ERECTED BY THE ROMANS.
When Others Were Destroyed by the
Moors This One Was Saved for
Mohammedan Worship.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Chicago Record Herald
CORDOVA, November 10, 1903.
Everybody has read of the wonderful
mosque at Cordova. for it is entirely unique,
unlike anything else in the world. 1t is
still called mosque. although it has been
used for the worship of the Christian Goa
for four hundl ID years. because there is
NJ resemblance in 1t to the ordinary cathe-
dral 1t was originally temple to Janus,
erected by the Romans. All the other tent
pies in Cordova were destroyed by the
Moors, butt this one, which was rebuilt
between 745 and 1S6 for Mohammedan wor-
ship by Alb du-Rhaman I and his successors
of the same name and title. Six hundred
years later when the Saracens were driven
from SPAIN it was occupied by the Chris-
tians, who removed several hundred OF the
pillars from the center and substituted
traSsept an altar and choir. thereby de-
facing the beauty of the building. Inc peo-
pie protested and threatened TO hans ene
bishop and others who were concerned IN
the vandalism. and when Charies V, VINO
had allowed these changes to be made,
came to Cordova in 1921 he was very angry
and denounced the bishop and the other
clergy in most Incorporate language tor
what he called their stupidity. Had l
known you intended to touch the ancient
portion" he exclaimed Indignantly. Il
would not have permitted IL. You have
built here what can be built anywhere ese,
in the world"
The mosque is almost as large as st.
Peters at Rome, being rectangular in form
and 642 by 462 feet in size. while st. Peters
is $50 by 6l5 feet in size The ceiling, how
ever, is only sixty feet in height. 1t is sup
ported by about $50 columns which give it
the appearance of a forest of marble rooted
in.
Maze of Pillars and Arches.
The first impression produced upon those
iS hat of hpWil6erment and
establishment at the confused mazes of pill
lars and sthe queer shaped double and single
arches which are so eccentric and odd that
one would think an insane architect must
have designed it. There are forms of arches
under this roof that are not found else
where and a pious old engineer once said
that they must have been built by the devil
himself because they violated all the laws
of physical gravity. You can get the best
! idea of its appearance by imagining seVeral
acres of alabaSter pavement planted with
regular rows of palm trees cut off at the
| heighth of thirty feet and forming sue
cession of colonnades thirty feet apart The
originality and the severe and massive SIM
plicity of the columns. the brilliant tints
with which the arches are colored and their
odd shapes produce most amazing erect,
but at one time it was even more gloflouS
| The stupid architects of the Christian PERIOD
nainted over many beautiful Moorish mo-
saics whitewashed brilliant tiles ana piaS-
tered over the exquisite tracery that the
Moorish artists had used to adorn the walls
and roof.
What must the place have been in Its orr
einal beauty when its ceilings and walls
glistened with gliding and vivid colofs, and
as some one has said looked IKE casn .Gni
shawls Illuminated In the Moorish times
it was lighted by 10.S05 lamps. which con-
sumed 100 harrles of oil d month. ana the
bishop used to have more than 11oo but
now these have been replaced by ordinary
,lo, h,I1hS which throw heavy SHADOWS,
but do not bring out the beauty OF the
lines or the decorations. AS In Io!eoo the
electricity is generated IN an Ola MOOT
ish mill down on the bank or the Guadai-
ouiyir river. and the same old wheels tnat
have been there for thousand years stlil
obey the current of the water
Nineteen Towers.
The mosque has nineteen towers and six
teen entrances The columns are all mono
uths-that is, of one block of marble, and
were brought from all parts of the then
|. known world. They came from Carthage IN
Africa, from the ruins of Boolbek, near
Damascus; from Babylonia and Palmyra,
from the temples and palaces of Rome,
from Nismes and Narbonne. France, and l4o
wera sent as a present from the emperor
at COnstantinople. They are all OF marble
and Jasper of different hues and species,
green brown, black, white, red, blue, rose
colored orange and cream. When they ar
lived in Cordova they were sawed of even
length and erected in rows intersecting
each other at right angles and equidistant.
The mosque could not have been very con-
yenient for worship because they are so
near together that they obstruct the view
and destroy the acoustics, but at one side
a pulpit was erected that Is unparalleled i'll
history.
n was a mass of ivory precious wood and
gold, and inlaid with jewels and cost more
than 81, 600, 600. In 1t was kept famous
copy of the Koran, made by Gilman. the
grandson of the prophet Mahomet great
SaraceH general and priest. and stained
with his blood. This book was kept in a
box covered with gold and embroidered
with pearls with a border of rubies, and
once a year during the feast of Ramadan
it was taken from the casket and used by
the officiating priest in the services of the
day.
This pulpit was stolen by the French SOL
diers under Marshal Soult in 1903 and car
red to France where it was broken up and
the jewels and the gold distributed among
the generals of the army. The amount of
booty the French carried away from Spain
after the downfall of Joseph Bonaparte
must have been enormous, for everywhere
you go you are told that this church was
robbed of its vessels. vestments and jewels:
that the library was plundered and the art
gallery beyond was stripped by the soldiers
of France.
Since the Christian era several beautiful
chapeis, affairs and sacristies have been
added to the mosque; the choir of oak is
one of the most beautiful specimens of
carvings in existence; the grand altar Is a
monument of magnificence. and in the treas
ury are kept large collections of precious
ornaments. vestments and vessels used in
the service and carried in professions on
feast days and holy days.
Memories Of Columbus.
Cordova is full of memories of Columbus
who lived here for several years from 14s6
on, trying to persuade Ferdinand and Isa-
bella to send him on voyage to discover a
western route to the Indies, and he lived
in n little old house under the shadow of a |
magnificent Roman tower near one of the
principal gates of the city. 1t still stands
as he left it when he followed the court to
Granada, and today Is occupied by a shoe
maker. who seems to be very proud of that
distinction.
While he was waiting here in Cordoya he |
spent a considerable portion of his time I'm
the company of Beatrice Enriques daughter
of tavern keeper. with whom he lodged |
for several months. The old inn remains |
just as it was then across one of the |
streets that surround the cathedral. and Is |
now used for the same purpose AS we /
looked In there this morning we saw a ht I
of men, evidently farmers and teamsters