Cordoba currently has 330,000 inhabitants. In the 10th century it was the most populous city in the world during the Moorish times. By 1236, King Ferdinand III captured the city and in that same year the cathedral was consecrated as the mother church of the diocese. This was our first stop of the day, also known as La Mezquita which is a UNESCO site. Its foundations are originally from a Visigoth church. This same Visigoth church as turned into a mosque and then a Catholic cathedral and then again a mosque and know again turned into the present-day cathedral. The structure itself is not super remarkable from the outside, but once inside it is a totally different story. It is one large room with 856 columns. The columns are smaller in the bottom and support a thicker top and also support double arches making the ceiling appear like it is "floating." Various additions and redecoration have occurred over its lifetime but the Moorish arches and designs are still the dominant style. Next we went to the Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) that crosses the Guadalquivir River. Only the foundations of the bridge are original Roman. We had lunch in a fun little courtyard and lunch consisted of lamb kabab and veggies. Our last stop the was the Alcazar of the Reyes Christianos (Palace the Christian Kings.) The tower of the palace was the seat of the Spanish inquisition for 300 years. The gardens were beautiful with formal shrubs and quiet water features. I loved all the flowers in bloom. This is definitely a top 5 Spanish city to visit.
An ancient main gate to the city
Cordoba is also known for all its beautiful courtyard and balcony gardens
Grove of the Orange Trees at La Mezquita
The Mihrab
The Corpus Christi Monstrance still used in modern-day processions
The Main Chapel
Damon listening to his audio guide
This half of the Naves had skylights
This tower was built over the existing minaret and has a sculpture of San Rafael on top who is the archangel of the city
The Orange Grove with the irrigation channels
Lunch!
The Door of Saint Stephen
The Door of Saint Michael
The Guadalquivir River
Tower at the end of the Roman Bridge
The Roman Bridge
Outside the Alcazar
Meet Stumpy, the Spanish one-footed pigeon. He moved around surprisingly well.
Inside the gardens of the Palace of the Christian Kings
More irrigation channels
The gardens with the tower that housed the Spanish Inquisition headquarters
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