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In
169 B.C. the Romans founded Córdoba. After the fall of Rome,
it existed under the rule of the Visigoths and became the
capital of Al Andalus, Muslim Spain, in 716.
The
Moors conquered Córdoba in the eighth century and by the
tenth century the city boasted a population of 500,000,
compared to about 38,000 in Paris. According to the chronicles
of the day, the city had 700 mosques, some 60,000 palaces, and
70 libraries - one reportedly housing 500,000 manuscripts and
employing a staff of researchers, illuminators and book
binders. Córdoba also had some 900 public baths as well as
Europe’s first street lights.
Reigning
with wisdom and justice, the rulers of Córdoba treated
Christians and Jews with tolerance. They also improved trade
and agriculture, patronized the arts, made valuable
contributions to science, and established Córdoba as the most
sophisticated city in Europe.
When
the Moors conquered Córdoba, they found a Visigoth cathedral,
promptly pulled it down and built a mosque complex, the walls
of which enclosed about four acres. It was over 40 years in
the making. Over the centuries, the Moors roofed-over and
developed more and more within this complex. Muslim,
Christian, and Jewish faiths alike were practiced within its
walls, an unprecedented feat then and literally unheard of
today.
When
the Christians reconquered Córdoba in 1236, the new rulers
were so awed by its beauty that they left it standing,
building their cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches
and columns. Thus it is preserved today, fondly referred to in
Spain as "La Gran Mezquita."
La
Mezquita contains over 500 marble, granite, and alabaster
columns. Mixed into the califal styles, one can see the
Byzantine and oriental influences, as well as Hispano-romanic
and Visigoth elements throughout the mosque. The grandeur of
La Mezquita and its colorful political and religious history
has earned it its place as a true wonder of the civilized
world.
"La
Mezquita de Córdoba" opens with the destruction of the
original Christian church in 716 A.D. and proceeds as a
musical celebration of its multi-cultural, religious and
artistic accomplishments.
J.G.
To see and hear the score: La
Mezquita de Córdoba
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