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ARCHIVED - Restoration work begins on southern façade of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba
The authorities are taking advantage of the lack of tourists in the Andalusian city to repair an area of wall that is crumbling away.
Work began this week to restore a patch of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba’s southern façade which is currently in a bad state of disrepair, with crumbling masonry.
Work will focus on an area of wall that was gradually disintegrating, where previous repairs have been made at an unknown date to fill in a hole in the wall believed to have housed a small altar, commemorative plaque or niche. The damaged masonry will be removed, and stone ashlars of the same type as the originals will be put in their place.
The project has a completion period of one month and a budget of 21,000 euros, all paid for by the Cathedral Chapter. It has been approved by the Andalusian regional government’s Historical Heritage department, and architects, conservators, archaeologists and restorers have contributed to the plans.
This is one of the most iconic monuments in Córdoba, its powerful Islamic architecture reflecting the period during which Al-Andalus was controlled by Muslim rulers. The structure which exists today was initiated by Abd ar-Rahman I in 785, extended multiple times by his successors and became a cathedral in 1236 when Castilian forces captured the city during the Reconquist. Subsequent modifications extended the structure yet further, but mercifully, the extraordinary architecture of its Islamic past remain.
The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba is open for visits during the Semana Santa holiday between 26th March and 5th April, but due to social distancing requirements it is advisable to pre-book tickets via https://tickets.mezquita-catedraldecordoba.es/es