The Cordoba “saved” mosque-cathedral after a fire


Keystone-SDA


The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, a jewel of Andalusian art in the south of Spain, escaped the worst after an apparently accidental fire which broke out Friday evening before being quickly extinguished. “The monument is saved,” said the mayor of the city.

(Keystone-ATS) A “disaster” has been avoided thanks to the efficiency of the firefighters, he added to the Cadena Ser. The claim had declared itself around 9:00 p.m. in this millennial building famous in particular for its forest of marble columns.

Videos published on social networks have shown flames and smoke escaping from the high walls of the monument, especially above the Porte de San José (on the south side of the mosque), which gives access to the interior and the famous orange patio.

Built as a mosque by emirs and omeyyad caliphs between the 8th and 10th centuries, the building was consecrated cathedral after the Christian reconquest in 1236 and Catholic elements were added, including a large central chapel in the 16th century.

Classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984, the Cordoba’s mosque-cathedral welcomed more than 2 million visitors in 2024, according to its website.

“Etincelle”

The fire was declared extinguished shortly after midnight. The mayor said that teams of firefighters and the local police would remain on the spot all night to “avoid any risk” of the new start of fire.

According to the first elements of the investigation, the fire broke out in the central chapel, located in the so -called Almanzor area, before stretching part of the coverage of the vaults, but without going further. The precise extent of the damage has not been established at this stage.

The management of the Mosque-Cathedral stored in this chapel, according to the mayor, cleaning equipment and audiovisual equipment, which may have been the source of the disaster. “It seems that it could be a battery or an electrical contact that would have produced a first spark,” he said. Several Spanish media mentioned a sweetener machine that would have caught fire.

The construction of the building began in the 8th century under the emirate of Abd al-Rahman I on the site of a Christian basilica. It was enlarged in several phases during the following four centuries. The expansion of Almanzor (Al Mansur) dates from the end of the 10th century.

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