A Comparison Of The Great Mosque Of Cordoba And Cathedral...

A COMPARISON OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA AND CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA, LEON Yvette Cordova ARTH 306: Medieval Art March 10, 2015 The Great Mosque of Cordoba is an Islamic house of worship in Spain. The facade of the building is boxlike, grey and has a rectangular plan. The roof is a series of triangular shaped rows parallel throughout the space, except for the center of the building, which has what appears to be a second story that goes up twice as high as the triangular rows. Upon entering the Great Mosque of Cordoba, the first thing that is seen is the interior prayer hall. Double sprung, horseshoe arcades sit on top of long blue posts. The arches themselves consist of alternating voussoirs, which are wedge shaped blocks that together compose the arch. In this case the voussoirs alternate in red and white, creating a stark contrast against the blue of the posts they sit on top of. When seen on a grand scale, the pattern the arches in the prayer hall are aligned in is almost lost and it appears they are stacked in randomized rows, however, there is a rhyme and reason to the arches, because the posts are align ed in vertical rows. Depending on where a person entering the room is standing, the double stacked arches appear to either be perfectly aligned or stacked at different angles. The Cathedral of Santa Maria is located in the city of Leon, Spain. The building facade appears to be brick and some type of stone. The exterior of the structure has