Our day in Cordoba began with a bus ride...we thought we were running late but ended up having time for breakfast...which ended up being chocolate con churros (what a surprise) as that was the best the bus station had to offer. After taking the bus to Cordoba and then stowing our bags in lockers at the station, we headed toward the Mezquita. La Mezquita de Cordoba was originally a mosque when the Muslims ruled the city. When the city was re-conquered by the Christians, they turned it into a Cathedral, conserving many old parts of the facade and inner arches, which add to its history, beauty, and charm. What is a shame is just how much of the original Mezquita was destroyed or "christianized" to turn it into the Cathedral it is today. Yes, by golly, it sure is beautiful, but it's sad to see a Muslim house of prayer be taken over like that.
It would not be bad if it were like any other church where it doesn't matter who prays there. Like if a Muslim came to St. Cletus and began praying to Allah, no one would object unless they were trying to be sacrilegious or doing it during a ceremony. We know that the God of the Jews, Christians/Catholics, and Muslims is the same God, although we have different conceptions of Him and how his revelation came about. The problem with what occurred in the history of the Mezquita de Cordoba is that even though this is now not only a tourist attraction but also a historical and religious site for both Catholics and Muslims, Muslims are not allowed to pray there. Like they will be arrested if they do...not just a written rule that no one obeys. Makes me sad that Muslims are no longer welcome. Sure, that was what happened when they were expelled from Spain by the Christians, but that was hundreds of years ago...can't we grow up now?
Ok...I'll stop ranting. Now where was I? ...Oh yeah...Amy and I were going to the Mezquita (which was the main thing we had come to Cordoba to see). We had looked up masses (since it was Sunday) and I had found one in the cathedral...aka the Mezquita, but we were not sure if they would allow tourists to attend. We knew they only allow mass-goers because they do not want people talking and walking around and taking photos during the celebration of the Eucharist...but we were hoping that if we told the guard people that we were there to attend mass we would be allowed in. We looked at the mass schedule only to find that we had an hour or more to wait before the next mass.
We decided to pass our time by walking down the to Roman bridge. What a lovely bridge and it provided a cute view and some people selling wares on the street that were interesting to look at (though I did not purchase anything from them).
Soon enough, it was time to head back to the Mezquita. At this point, we had only seen the courtyard and were hoping to attend mass there and then planning to pay to visit later in the afternoon. Well...after assuring the guard that we actually did want to go to the mass, we were allowed in, much to our delight. We entered to see..."so much beautiful" (another quote of the weekend). Gorgeous red and gold arches everywhere and all the grandiose and elaborate adornments of the average Spanish Cathedral.
Once we sat down we realized 2 things: 1. that we were actually attending a mass in the Mezquita...on the first Sunday of Advent no less! and 2. that this was to be a special mass...based on all the people wearing name tags, the television screens, and the presence of the bishop. Yes indeed, we were in for quite a treat!
It was a mostly normal Spanish mass, except for the homily, which was given (of course) by the bishop. He talked about the conference that was coming to a close (aka the reason for the special mass). It was a conference, among other things, on icons - religious images of Jesus, Mary, and the Saints. I don't remember the homily in it's entirety...not sure if I could even make my brain tune in to fast Spanish spoken by a native for that long, but I do remember one specific thing he said. He talked about how young people understand the language of icons...and thinking about Cletus teens, I knew that was true and just kept nodding as he emphasized the importance of reaching out to the younger generation.
Overall, a beautiful mass...like seriously...in my top 10 ever (definitely one of the most beautiful traditional masses ever - but many of my top 10 would be non-traditional...like the mass given by Fr. Jeff at Camp Trinity when we were sitting outside overlooking a cliff and the leaves were falling and he was giving a homily about God's kisses. Shout out to any Cletus teen or Core member who remembers this).
After the mass, the Mezquita closed for a bit, so Amy and I decided to get some lunch before visiting it in it's entirety. We tried a restaurant with paella...yeah...not so great. I'll just never learn, will I? You can never get good paella in a restaurant except on very rare occasions, at arrozerias, or when you pay like 30 euros per person. You have to make it yourself...or have a host mom who makes it for you. Unfortunately, I could eat paella everyday and she does not make it everyday, so I keep trying it elsewhere and being disappointed.
After lunch, it was time for our actual visit to the Mezquita. This took a couple of hours - even though we had already seen the main Catholic altar, there were chapels all around the sides (as is traditional in Cathedrals here) and other statues and things to see in the middle and of course we had to return to the main altar for pictures and then take pictures with the arches from the old mosque as well. After a long visit and many a discussion about my above rant, we left the Mezquita to pass the rest of our time in Cordoba.
30ish minutes later and having already gotten and eaten ice cream, we walked around for a bit, shopping, just looking. Then it was time to go back to the bus station to pick up our stuff and head home...booo! We made it with plenty of time to spare. and sat around for a bit. Then after the usual really long bus ride and fairly long metro ride home, we were both exhausted. Amy had an easy Monday, but I was nervous as I knew I wouldn't get much sleep with a paper to write and an exam to study for in the morning.
Peace and Blessings,
Melanie
Spanish Word of the Day: bonita = pretty :)
BONUS: Arabic Word of the Day (the only one I picked up): Jemillah (sure I butchered the spelling, especially because they have a different alphabet entirely so I was spelling based on pronunciation) = beautiful.
7 comments:
How wonderful that you were allowed to attend the Mass. Another little blessing. Have you counted the number of churches you have toured?
I keep wondering where you are getting all of your energy. I guess having so much beauty and adventure all around you helps.
It all sounds so wonderful, as does the rest of your journey. But I want to correct some historical errors. La Mezquita de Cordoba was NOT originally a mosque. The site was originally home to a pagan temple; when Visigoths conquered the area, they converted it into a church (in fact, you might have seen some of the church floor when you were there); when Muslims conquered, they converted it into a mosque; and when Reconquistas prevailed, they turned it into a church again. Unfortunately, this is too common in history and not just by Christians. It's still happening, as when the Taliban destroyed the giant Afghan Buddhas. Christians don't let Muslims pray in La Mezquita, and Muslims do not let Jews pray on our own Temple Mount (and at our second holiest site when they ruled Hebron). Fortunately, Jews have not prevented Muslims from praying anywhere in Israel. Besides praying at the Holy Temple Wall in Jerusalem, I've been to the Vatican, a Buddhist Temple in the Himalayas where the Dalai Lama was days before, the Hindu Kumba Mehla and numerous temples, and more; always welcome and warmly embraced. But as a non-Muslim, I am not allowed on Hajj or even in the city of Mecca. It's wrong no matter who's doing it, but it is a sad fact.
Mom - hmmm...how many have I been to or how many have I toured? Been to...let's see...Miraculous Virgin in Madrid, mass at university's chapel, Parroquia de santas Perpetua y Felicidad near Paula and Sonia, Basilica in El Escorial, Basilica in Monasterio de Piedra, Catedral de Toledo, Catedral de Salamanca, Catedral de Segovia, Catedral de Huesca, Church of San Pedro el Viejo in Huesca, Church in Granada that I attended Mass at...don't remember the name, Cathedral de la Almudena in Madrid, Catedral de Sevilla, Church in Cordoba, St. John Laterine in Rome, St. Inez in Rome, St. Clement in Rome, Church of teh Holy stairs, Place where I attended mass in Portugal, other church in Portugal, Cathedral in Portugal, Basilica in Fatima, other church at Fatima, uhhh...that might be it?? oh no...Chapel of the Conversion in Loyola where we had mass, Church where St. Ignatius was baptized, Church near Castillo de Santo Javier...ok now I think that's it...maybe...watch me think of one more just as I submit this comment.
One more - the church beneath St. Clement here in Rome...oh and the church beneath (well sorta) Almudena in Madrid too...
Rich - thanks for the correction - doesn't surprise me. Just did not learn about that part in my Art history course. And I agree, it is sad. Wish we could all just agree to disagree in terms of religious beliefs and get along.
Oh and Barb, you are correct. Also it helps that I am still really young...not to imply anything haha.
Heeey......
Wish there was a facebook "like" button for that last comment FGM hahahahah
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