Spanish icons project

S PA N I S H I C O N S .MONUMENTS

T H E M O S Q U E O F C Ó R D O B A .

• Known locally as "Mezquita-Catedral", the Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the oldest structures still standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus in the late 8th century. The buildings on this site are as complex as the extraordinarily rich history they illustrate. Historians believe that there had first been a temple to the Roman god, Janus, on this site. The temple was converted into a church by invading Visigoths who seized Corboba in 572. Next, the church was converted into a mosque and then completely rebuilt by the descendants of the exiled Umayyads—the first Islamic dynasty who had originally ruled from their capital Damascus (in present-day Syria) from 661 until 750.

T H E A L H A M B R A O F G R A N A D A .• It is a palace and fortress complex located in

Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid-11th century by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.

T H E A Q U E D U C T O F S E G O V I A .

• The Roman aqueduct of Segovia, probably built c. A.D. 50, is remarkably well preserved. This impressive construction, with its two tiers of arches, forms part of the setting of the magnificent historic city of Segovia.The first section of the aqueduct contains 36 semi-circular arches, rebuilt in the 15th century to restore a portion destroyed by the Moors in 1072. The line of arches is organized in two levels, decorated simply, in which predominantly simple moulds hold the frame and provide support to the structure. On the upper level, the arches have a total width of 5.1 meters (16.1 ft). Built in two levels, the top pillars are both shorter and narrower than those on the lower level. The top of the structure contains the channel through which water travels

E L E S C O R I A L O F M A D R I D .

• El Escorial is a vast building complex located in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, near Madrid, in central Spain. The building is the most important architectural monument of the Spanish Renaissance. Construction of El Escorial began in 1563 and ended in 1584.

S A C R E D FA M I LY O F B A R C E L O N A .

• It is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

• The Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete.

M Y P O I N T O F V I E W.

• In my opinion, I consider the mosque of Córdoba the most beautiful monument of all mentioned before. I have been there several times and it has a lovely mixture of different cultures that have passed for Córdoba throughout the history and they combine perfectly, creating an harmonized space. I have never been in the sacred family and a I would like to. I have chosen the monuments to talk about because I think Spain has a rich culture and beautiful places that should strengthen.

– C A R M E N PA R D O C H A S TA N G

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