Reconquering Architecture

Another religious building for last March's entry for 9Q Magazine. This time it's an even older church and comes with about a 1000 years of controversy. One of the most popular and highly regarded historic monuments in Spain, it's known by everyone as the Great Mosque of Cordoba although only Christian worship takes place there since 1236.

There is a reason for this duality as it was originally built as an Islamic temple by the Moors who dominated the Iberian peninsula for much of the Middle Ages. However, in the 13th Century Cordoba, together with Al-Andalus –modern day Andalusia– was eventually conquered by the Christian Castilian army as part of the much debated 'Reconquista' and the Great Mosque, was subsequently turned into a church. 300 years later, in an intensely Roman Catholic country, local religious authorities began questioning, 'how come it doesn't look Catholic enough'?

They then proceeded to convert it into a full-on Renaissance cathedral, not by rebuilding it from scratch but by literally 'stuffing' it at the very heart of the ancient temple. Upon completion, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's famous remark soon followed: 'something unique has been lost to something vulgar'.

This practice wasn't anew, replacing 'old' religion buildings had been done before; the mosque itself had been erected over a Visigothic temple and before over a pagan Roman. This mishmash of styles is what makes it such an interesting and exciting piece of architecture. However, even after surviving the gloomy Inquisition days, there is now another chapter to this story.

In recent years, the Cordoba canonry has been running a dubious policy of blurring the temple's Islamic past –for example by omitting the term 'mosque' in promotional material– and this has revealed a subtle move by the Catholic Church to claim the legal ownership of the building and the land it stands on. An obscure law passed under the Conservative government a few years ago would have enabled to enter this UNESCO World Heritage Site into the land registry for 30€ only. The local council has raised a formal pledge to claim the Mosque/Cathedral for its citizens but has recently been dismissed by the central government in Madrid. After all, the Church has successfully administrated the building for 775 years.

A setback for a city that was once a symbol of the meeting of three faiths. It seems as though Spain is not quite yet ready to lay the ghosts of the Reconquista to rest.

Read The Independent's article.

A City Fit For A God

I have been recently contacted by Barcelona-based La Salle Institute of Technology and kindly offered to collaborate with Q9, their architecture webzine. So, on a more or less regular basis I'll be contributing with a satirical architecture illustration blog called 'Arquitectura Destructiva' (Destructive Architecture). To start with, an entry featuring Sagrada Familia Basilica making room by power blasting Barcelona's famous grid district l'Eixample (Extension). Not very subtle. 

There's an ongoing controversy involving this building that has recently taken a new turn. As part of the original plan for his Roman Catholic masterpiece Gaudí had envisioned it at the centre of a star-shaped square. However that was back in 1882. Then he died and the city kept growing relentlessly swallowing the architect's star dream. 

Now, Barcelona City Council has dusted off Gaudi's idea and revealed seven other new proposals for the redevelopment of the vicinity of Sagrada Familia of which only one does not consider the demolition of surrounding architecture; some of it built at the turn of the 20th century. The Nativity and Passion facades are facing green areas but what was originally intended as the main entrance to the temple, the yet unfinished Glory facade, is currently obscured by 13-storey blocks. Additionally, after the building became internationally known after the 92 Olympics, the upsurge of tourists have left the surrounding facilities dated. 

Thus, the City Council deem it necessary to open up Spain's most visited landmark and design a monumental promenade that in its most ambitious proposal will see two blocks of houses being knocked down all the way down to Diagonal Avenue. Being by Barcelona's main traffic artery –it cuts the city in half along its 11 km length– the new layout will feature Sagrada Familia on a grandiose perspective fit for world status heritage. Hundreds of homes will be affected and neighbours relocated. No room for subtleties here either. 

It's time to get to an agreement between the Sagrada Familia Foundation and Neighbour Association under the supervision of the City Council. The option of leaving the plan untouched is there. 

When buildings become this iconic they become indirectly aggressive to their habitat. This one has the power of a God to get its well earned Lebensraum. 

Article by Rowan Moore for The Guardian