Córdoba - See the archaeological remains of a Visigothic church in the Mosque

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Archaeological remains of the Visigothic church of San Vicente in the Mosque of Cordoba

When you start your essential visit inside the Mosque of Cordoba, in Andalusia, on the right side of the building you will soon see on the ground a railing that delimits a hole covered by a glass window, where some archaeological excavations.

Is about archaeological remains of the church of San Vicente, a Visigothic Christian church that was in the place where around the year 780 began to build the first phase of the Umayyad Mosque.

Indeed, you may not know that the Mosque of Cordoba rose on the remains of an old Visigoth church which was built to mid-sixth century, and that by then became the main Christian temple of the city of Cordova.

Archaeological remains of the Visigothic church of San Vicente in the Mosque of Cordoba

After the occupation of Cordova by the Arabs during the eighth century, the Visigothic church of San Vicente It began to be shared for religious use by Christians and Arabs.

This shared use of the Visigothic temple of origin was maintained until during the reign of Abderraman I the convenience of building a mosque was considered, which led to the disappearance of the church of San Vicente.

Archaeological remains of the Visigothic church of San Vicente in the Mosque of Cordoba

It was not until the period between 1930 and 1936 when they were carried out excavations in the oldest area of ​​the Mosque of Cordoba, ordered to build by Abderramán I, which allowed to discover archaeological remains of the disappeared church of San Vicente.

Apart from the aforementioned hollow in the ground that you can see when starting the mosque visit, at the bottom to the right of the temple, in the area corresponding to the extension made by Al Hakam II, you will see some showcases where capitals, pillars and mosaics are exposed, in addition to other objects with Christian iconography that were brought to light during excavations.

This area of ​​the Mosque is currently known as the Visigoth Museum of San Vicente.

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