Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A LARGE fire broke out at Cordoba’s iconic mosque-turned-cathedral on Friday evening in harrowing scenes reminiscent of the blaze that tore through Notre Dame in Paris.
Videos shared on social networks showed smoke and flames engulfing a section of the medieval monument.
Cordoba’s mayor stated that firefighters contained the fire quickly and saved the Cathedral from complete destruction.
The monument has been saved. It will not be a disaster, or a spread. Let’s just say it like that,” said Jose Maria Bellido in an interview with Cadena TV.
About 35 firefighters and 6 fire engines were dispatched to put out the fire, which began when a mechanical sweeper caught fire.
The roof of the chapel that caught fire collapsed early Saturday morning. Two other chapels also suffered damage.
The Mezquita de Cordoba welcomed over two million visitors in 2024 – and tourists were able to enter the building on Saturday as normal, with only the area impacted by the inferno shut to the public.
The Mezquita, one of Spain’s most famous examples of Christian-Moorish architectural style.
Abd al-Rahman was the ruler of southern city during the 8th-10th centuries. He built the mosque in between these two centuries.
The cathedral was built after Christians reconquered Spain, in the 13th Century.
The Mezquita has been hailed as a jewel in Islamic architecture. It is famous for the vast hall of its hypostyle, which is filled with striking rows of horseshoe arches.
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