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CÓRDOBA, Spain—Tourists from all over the world come here for one reason: to see the Mezquita (Spanish for “mosque”) that was built when Cordoba was part of the Muslim-ruled kingdom of al-Andalus. Although it is widely considered to be one of the finest achievements of the Western Islamic Empire, you wouldn’t know it from reading the information pamphlet provided at the entrance.

The section entitled “The Islamic Intervention” is indicative of the general drift of the text, which characterizes the creation of the Mezquita as an unfortunate hiccup in the history of what was always meant to be a Christian church. Some passages go so far as to dismiss the originality of the structure, claiming that almost all of the architectural elements were copied from Christian buildings, while others accuse a later Muslim addition to the edifice as being merely an “ostentatious display of power,” and even worse, cheaply constructed.

However, one glance around the interior gave me the impression that the monument actually suffered from being converted back into a church after Christian monarchs finally conquered Cordoba. The Renaissance cathedral added inside the Mezquita after its conversion would be fairly standard if it stood alone, but it seems wildly out of place amidst the elegant red and white Islamic arches.

Apart from its thinly veiled disdain for the Mezquita’s creators, what makes the pamphlet even more of a curiosity is the incongruity between its overtly religious slant and current Spanish attitudes.

Despite Spain’s historical reputation as one of the most Catholic countries in Europe, and although most Spaniards still identify themselves as culturally Catholic, religion seems to be of little real importance in people’s daily lives here. Church attendance is at an all-time low and the only people I have ever seen attend Mass are elderly individuals. The tone of the pamphlet suggests a level of religious dogmatism that is clearly out of touch with the reality of modern Spain.

And while it is understandable that the Catholic Church should desire to push back the rising tide of secularism in Spain, providing vaguely bigoted information to the Mezquita’s visitors is an inappropriate way to make such a stand. The Mezquita is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its stewards would do well to acknowledge and celebrate all aspects of that heritage. Anything short of that does a terrible disservice to this outstanding example of cultural fusion.


Adrienne Y. Lee ’12 is a Crimson editorial writer in Quincy House.