Part 1
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THE SPANISH SERIES
CORDOVA
THE SPANISH SERIES
_EDITED BY ALBERT F. CALVERT_
SEVILLE MURILLO CORDOVA THE PRADO THE ESCORIAL SPANISH ARMS AND ARMOUR
_In preparation--_
GOYA TOLEDO MADRID VELAZQUEZ GRANADA AND ALHAMBRA ROYAL PALACES OF SPAIN LEON, BURGOS, AND SALAMANCA VALLADOLID, OVIEDO, SEGOVIA, ZAMORA, AVILA, AND ZARAGOZA
CORDOVA
A CITY OF THE MOORS BY ALBERT F. CALVERT AND WALTER M. GALLICHAN WITH 160 ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMVII
Edinburgh: T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty
_To_
_THE DUKE OF SOTOMAYOR_
_Lord High Chamberlain to H.M. the King of Spain, etc._
_My dear Duke,_
_Some of the pleasantest of my many pleasant memories of Spain are associated with, as indeed they were derived from, the sympathy you have displayed in my work and the great kindness I ever received from the Duchess of Sotomayor and yourself. For these, I hope, sufficient reasons--not as one who seeks to liquidate a heavy debt of hospitality, but rather rejoices in his obligations--I beg you to accept this dedication and permit me to associate your illustrious name with this modest volume._
_I am,
My dear Duke,
Your obliged and ever grateful,
ALBERT F. CALVERT._
PREFACE
It would be unnecessary to enlarge upon the reasons for including a study of Cordova in this series of Spanish Handbooks: indeed a series of this description would be incomplete without it. The beautiful, powerful, and wise Cordova,--‘the City of Cities,’ ‘the Pearl of the West,’ ‘the Bride of Andalus,’ as the Arabian poets have variously named it,--the ancient capital of Mohammedan Spain, is still one of the most curious and fascinating monuments of this singularly interesting country.
Much water has flowed under the sixteen arches of the bridge which spans the Guadalquivir since ‘Cordova was to Andalus what the head is to the body, or what the breast is to the loin’; the Moorish city of the thirty suburbs and three thousand mosques, whose fame once obscured the glory of ancient Damascus, is no longer the centre of European culture. ‘The brightest splendour of the world’ has been lost in centuries of neglect and decay, and the new light of a modern civilisation has not shone upon the remains of its mediæval grandeur.
But the Cordova of the great Khalif is still the most African city in Spain; its mosque remains to give us a clearer and fuller idea of the power and magnificence of the Moors than anything else in the Peninsula, not excepting even the Alhambra; and in its narrow, uneven streets and mysterious, silent _patios_, in the gold and crimson of its fragrant gardens, the student and the artist may find unending interest and enchantment.
In selecting the illustrations for this book, the authors have endeavoured to provide both for the antiquary and the lover of the beautiful; for those whose acquaintance with Spain must be made through the medium of the printed page, and for those more fortunate readers who will, we hope, find this book a memento of their wanderings in Andalusia.
ALBERT F. CALVERT. WALTER M. GALLICHAN.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. THE BRIDE OF ANDALUS 1
II. THE MOORISH CAPTURE 13
III. THE OMEYYAD DYNASTY 23
IV. THE BUILDING OF THE MOSQUE 42
V. IN THE COURT OF ORANGES 57
VI. THE SPLENDOURS OF THE MOSQUE 65
VII. THE CATHEDRAL AND CHURCHES 75
VIII. THE PALACE OF THE KHALIFS AND THE MOORISH BRIDGE 79
IX. ILLUSTRIOUS NATIVES OF CORDOVA 83
APPENDIX I.--THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOVA 96
APPENDIX II.--CORDOVA 100
ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATE NO.
View of the City and the Bridge south of the Guadalquivir, 1
The Bridge, 2
View of Mosque and Bridge, 3
The Iron Mill on the Guadalquivir, 4
Promenade of ‘Grand Capitaine,’ 5
Market Street, or Calle de la Feria, 6
Plaza del Triunfo and exterior of the Mosque, 7
Entrance Gate of the City, the Column of Triumph, and the Mosque from the Bridge, 8
The Column of Triumph, 9
Ancient Arab Tower, now the Church of St. Nicholas de la Villa, 10
The Tower of San Nicolas, 11
Tower of the Cathedral and Patio de Los Naranjos, 12
View of the Patio de Los Naranjos, 13
The Tower of the Cathedral, 14
Entrance to the City from the Bridge, 15
Public Fountain in the Patio de Los Naranjos, 16
Women at the Spring, 17
Well in the Patio de Los Naranjos, 18
Peasant with his Donkey, 19
A Water-Carrier, 20
The Poor Man’s Meal, 21
Muleteers, 22
A Gardener, 23
Girl with a Guitar, 24
A Room in the Provincial Museum: View of the Roman and Visigoth Section, 25
A Room in the Provincial Museum: View of the Arab Section, 26
Door of the House of the Innocents, 27
The Door of Don Jerónimo Páez, 28
The Door of the Foundling Hospital, 29
The Tower of Carrahoe, 30
Porch of St. Paul, 31
Ancient Arab Walls, 32
Mosaics of the Four Seasons in the House of S.S. Lugue, Plaza de la Compania, 33
Architectural Parts of the Catholic Basilicas, 34
Capitals and Fragments of Ornamentation in the Mosque, 35
Architectural Parts of the Catholic Basilicas and other constructions, 36
Capitals of the Catholic Basilicas preserved in the Mosque, now the Cathedral, 37
Fragments of the Catholic Basilicas preserved in the Mosque, now the Cathedral, 38
General View of the Choir and High Altar, 39
Pulpit and Steps of the High Altar, 40
Choir Stalls in the Mosque or Cathedral, 41
Left Side of the Choir Stalls, 42
General View of the Choir in the Mosque, or Cathedral, 43
The Bishop’s Stall in the Choir of the Mosque, or Cathedral, 44
Central Nave in the Cathedral, 45
Central Nave in the Cathedral, 46
Central Nave in the Cathedral, 47
Plan of the Mosque in the time of the Arabs, 48
Plan of the Mosque at the present time, 49
The Bishop’s Gate, 50
Entrance to the Mosque, called the Gate of Camónigos, 51
The Tower of La Mala Muerte, 52
The Cathedral: View of the Transverse Nave, 53
North Angle of the Chapel of Villaviciosa, 54
The Central Nave of the Mosque, 55
The Gate of Pardon, 56
The Gate of Pardon, 57
The Gate of Pardon, 58
The Gate of Pardon, 59
Knocker on the Gate of Pardon, 60
Principal Nave and Mih-rab of the Mosque, 61
Entrance to the Chapel of the Mih-rab, 62
Interior View of the Mosque (from a drawing), 63
General View of the Interior of the Mosque, 64
Interior of the Mosque, 65
Interior of the Cathedral, 66
Interior of the Mosque, 67
Interior of the Cathedral, 68
General View of the Chapel of Villaviciosa, 69
Interior of the Mosque, 70
Interior of the Mosque, 71
Lateral Door of the Mosque, 72
The Chapel of Villaviciosa in the Mosque, 73
Exterior of the Mosque, 74
The Mosque--Moorish Portal on the North Side, built under Hakem III., 988-1001, 75
Chapel of Trastamara, south side, 76
General View of the Chapel of the Mih-rab, 77
Façade and Gate of Almanzor, 78
The Mosque--Elevation of the Gate of the Sanctuary of the Koran, 79
Gate corresponding to the Buildings of Al-Hakem II., 80
Portal of the Mih-rab, 81
Arcade of the Entrance to the Vestibule of the Mih-rab, 82
The Maksurrah (now the Villaviciosa Chapel), left side, 83
Right Lateral Portal, within the Precinct of the Maksurrah, 84
Detail of the Hall of Chocolate, 85
Exterior of the Chapel of the Mih-rab, 86
Detail, Arches of the Mih-rab, 87
Detail in the Chapel of the Maksurrah, 88
Mosaic Decoration of the Sanctuary, 89
General View of the Interior of the Chapel of the Maksurrah and St. Ferdinand, 90
Detail near the Mih-rab, 91
Detail of the Interior of the Mih-rab, 92
Vertical Section of the Dome and Cupola of the Mih-rab, 93
Detail of the Trastamara Chapel, 94
Detail of the Higher Part and Roof of the Chapel of St. Ferdinand, 95
Sections of the Mosque, 96
Sections of the Mosque and Cathedral, 97
Detail in the Chapel of Trastamara, south side, 98
Detail in the Angle of the Arch of the Mih-rab, left side, 99
Detail in the Angle of the Arch of the Mih-rab, right side, 100
Detail of the Gate of the Mosque, 101
Kufic Inscription of the time of the Khalifate, found in an Excavation, 102
The Mosque. Kufic Inscription in the Palace, 103
Arabian Inscriptions, 104
Arabian Inscriptions, 105
Basement Panel of the Façade of the Mih-rab, 106
Marble Socle in the Mih-rab, 107
Exterior of the Chapel of San Pedro, north side, in the Mosque, 108
A Gate on one of the lateral sides, 109
A Kufic Inscription on the additions made to the Mosque by order of the Khalif Al-Hakem, 110
A Kufic Inscription on the additions made to the Mosque by order of the Khalif Al-Hakem, 111
Capitals. Entrance Arch, 112
Detail of a Frieze, 113
Detail of a Cornice, 114
Detail of a Cornice, 115
Eastern Side of the Exterior of the Mosque and Detail, 116
Plan of the Arch and Cupola of the Mih-rab, 117
Detail of the Portals of the Maksurrah, 118
Section and Details of the Mih-rab of the Mosque, 119
Details of the Cupola of the Vestibule of the Mih-rab, 120
The Gate of Pardon 121
The Bishop’s Gate 121
The Mosque. Detail of the Trastamara Chapel, 122
The Mosque. The Gate of the Sultan, 122
The Mosque. Interior of the Mih-rab, 123
The Mosque. Arab Arcade above the First Mih-rab, 123
Interior of the Mosque, 124
Interior of the Chapel of San Fernando, 125
Gate of the Cathedral, 126
Principal Entrance to the Mosque, 127
The Mosque. Trastamara Chapel, south side, 128
Eastern Façade of the Mosque, 129
Patio de los Naranjos, 130
Calle del Cardinal Herrero, 131
Tower of the Cathedral, 132
The Mosque. Pulpit of the Angel, 133
The Mosque. Pulpit of the Bull, 134
Cathedral. Choir Stalls, 135
Cathedral. Principal Nave, 136
Gate of St. Catharine, 137
Altar of San Rafael, 138
The House of Páez, 139
General View of the Roman Bridge and Calahorra over the Guadalquivir, taken from the Arab Mill, 140
Calahorra Castle, 141
General View of the Roman Castle of the Calahorra, 142
Entrance Gate to the Roman Bridge, 143
Almodóvar Gate, 144
The Mills, 145
General View and Roman Bridge over the Guadalquivir, 146
Grating and Court of a Private House, 147
Avenue of the Grand Captain, 148
District and Church of San Lorenzo, 149
General View of the Bank and the Roman Bridge over the Guadalquivir, 150
Interior of the Plaza de Toros, 151
Horticultural Gardens, 152
The Bank of the Guadalquivir from the Bridge, 153
General View of Cordova, 154
Courtyard of an Inn, 155
A Street and Country Types, 156
A Street and Country Types, 157
Ancient Receptacle for Water of Medina Az-Zahira, Tenth Century, 158
Plan of Cordova, 159
Many of the photographs included in this volume, other than those taken by myself, were supplied by Messrs. Rafael Garzon of Granada, Senan and Gonzalez of Granada, Hauser and Menet of Madrid, Ernst Wasmuth of Berlin, publisher of Uhde’s _Baudenkmaeler in Spanien und Portugal_, and Eugen Twietmeyer of Leipzig, publisher of Junghändel’s _Die Baukunst Spaniens_, and I take this opportunity of acknowledging their kind permission to reproduce them in this volume.
A. F. C.
CORDOVA
I
THE BRIDE OF ANDALUS
An impression of colour, heat, and somnolence grows upon the stranger as he rambles through the bright alleys and sunlit plazas of Cordova. He may be neither painter, poet, nor antiquary; yet the opulence of vivid, almost garish tones, the romance that lingers about the Moorish courtyards and the perfumed gardens, and the surviving, pervasive suggestion of age, will stimulate his senses and imagination. For one who is capable of deeper and more subtle impressions, the old city will seem as a consummation of desire and a realisation of fanciful dreams. The spell of Orientalism will hold him; the splendours of _The Arabian Nights_ will be brought before his vision; and he will conjure shapes of sultan, wizard, genii, and sage, and see the lovely retinue of fair women within the palaces of the swarthy potentates.
Music of reed and string will delight his ears; and loitering by the walls, on the banks of the swirling Guadalquivir, he will hear the selfsame song of the bulbul which brought joy and sadness to dark, inscrutable eyes in olden days. He will watch the blue shadows of mosque and tower, and see the sun lavish gold on roof and turret, while his eye will be dazzled by the hues of balconies, by the hot geranium, the gay dabs of drying garments, hanging like flags against the ardent sapphire of the Andalusian sky.
Framed in the arch of a city gateway, he will see a lovely vista of vineyard, olive-crowned hillock, and meditative, grey sierra, rising to the blue.
He will pace the silent square at night, and discourse with Seneca. His ears will drink in the stoic counsels of Lucan, and his brain will grapple with the problems laid down by the sagacious Averroes. He will hear the Moslem call to prayer, and stand to gaze upon the band of the devout filing into the Mezquita.
Clamours of battle will assail him, the clash of sword and shield will startle his slumber, and the night will tremble with the triumphant roar of the fierce, invading Goths. And in hours, fragrant with the scent of flowers--placid in contemplation of the simple happiness of Cordova’s youths and maidens in the Court of Oranges--he will weave romances of the ancient life, when the town was the seat of the cultured, the home of the arts, and the sanctuary of the pious.
Doubtless the Cordova of to-day subsists like other towns upon the industry and the commercial energy of its inhabitants. There are shops and hotels in the streets; there are signs of handicrafts and of common daily employments. But there is no bustle, no indication of a strenuous existence for the people, and the siesta is long and undisturbed. There is a market, but its produce and merchandise do not suggest the wealth and commerce of earlier days. The _consumo_, or customs officer, levies his tax upon almost everything which the hard-faring peasants bring into the town, and we have seen a conflict between one of these officials and a countryman over a single live pigeon. The peasant questioned the tax, and the officer explained the case with the flat of his sword-blade. This incident is characteristic of Andalusia, and perhaps it may throw a light upon the discontent which is apt, at times, to manifest itself violently among the agricultural population of Spain.
Certainly there are days of markets and ferias when Cordova arouses itself, and trains of mules and asses creep into the place, and flocks may be seen in the streets. Wine, oil, and fruit are produced in the environs, and grain-crops flourish on the plain. In mediæval times Cordova was famed for its mart, where silk and grain were sold. The district still bears repute for its horse-breeding, but the stock has suffered deterioration through injudicious selection. An anonymous American writer, who was here in 1831, speaks of the horses of Cordova as the finest in Spain, and asserts that they are the descendants of the pure Arabian breed. One still notes many good horses. It is said that the water from the Guadalquivir is as nourishing for horses as is the barley of certain districts of Spain.
The banishment of the Moors hastened the decay of Cordova. For a period the region was almost stripped of its population, and grass grew in the plazas and patios of the town. To-day the inhabitants number about fifty thousand, and though Cordova wears an air of lethargy, the grass does not spring up in the streets. There seems to be just enough human activity to keep the town alive, and it is not wholly, as Henry O’Shea described it, ‘a city of the dead.’ A certain measure of prosperity is assured for Cordova by the attraction of its antiquity, which brings strangers from many lands to visit the magnificent Mezquita.
The Spaniard is not a passionate enthusiast of modernity. He is conservative, and zealous and proud of his ancient towns, and it is quite probable that the bulk of the natives of Cordova prefer that the atmosphere of the place shall remain mediæval. And we who resort to Cordova to reflect upon its past grandeur, and to imbue ourselves with the spirit of the Moorish days, are assuredly satisfied that it has not been modernised and marred during the years that have intervened between the great vandalism after the expulsion of the Arabs and the present time. We are glad to think that all which remains of majesty and beauty is now carefully cherished and respected.