Everyone who visits the city of Córdoba is captivated by the exoticism that emanates from its people, its streets and its architecture. Exoticism that has traces and smells of a big past that made Córdoba the epicenter of old medieval Europe. The memory of Ál-Ándalus still resounds in the corners of Córdoba, and is framed in the sample of the delight of all those who are lucky enough to put their feet in the old capital of California. The inhabitants of Córdoba, most of the Andalusians, the good talent in the art of comics and legend, the stories that were told in the taverns and patios, which were dressed with the grace and popular folklore to become authentic signs of the idiosyncrasy of Cordoba. On this occasion we will focus on a famous legend related to the most representative building in this city, the Mosque of Cordoba.
While most of the visitors in this Mosque-Cathedral, are enraptured with the labyrinth of marble columns, jasper and granite, and that magnetism and impression and delights all who put their eyes on that imposing structure, other curious eyes in the little column of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Chapel of the Epiphany. This detail refers to a small cross.
The legend tells of a young and good-looking Christian worker in the Caliphate gardens who fell madly in love with a beautiful young Arab woman. This young man asked her to marry him. History tells us that she agreed, but unfortunately the goddess fortune was not on the side of these unhappy lovers. According to the young woman, just the night of her baptism, she was stopped by soldiers who ended her life and disposed of her body by throwing him into the river.
The young man was also arrested, but instead of being executed he was chained to one of the columns of the Mosque, to bend it, expose it and shame to fall on him. The legend tells us that in order not to lose hope he took refuge in the only thing he had left, his faith, thus beginning to scratch the surface of the marble column, leaving the symbol of the cross there and stay there forever.
This story with a marked oral character and influenced by fantasy, popular knowledge and seasoned with the narrative gifts of those who told it, is remembered by a small poster painted in the distant 18th century.
Unfortunately the reality is sometimes a jug of cold water that breaks the highest illusions, in this case, most likely is that the cross was one of those marks that the master stonemasons made in the stone to distinguish them and know which It was going to be his place in the structure. Even so it is undeniable the weight that this story has for the city and the inhabitants of Córdoba who repeat and tell this story with that shine in the eyes so characteristic of the one who is telling a consummate truth.
If you want to know the legends and secrets that make Cordoba a unique place, do not hesitate to join our guided tours. We are Córdoba Tips Tour and we offer a Free Tour through the Historic Quarter (Puerta de Almodóvar at 11:00) and a Free Tour on the Legends of the Jewish Quarter (Puerta de Almodóvar at 19:00). Remember that it is necessary to previously book our free tours, through the web https://cordobafreetour.es. The experts of the yellow umbrella await you!
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Interesado por la Historia de la vida cotidiana, he trabajado distintas temáticas y épocas, teniendo una publicación pendiente acerca de la vida infantil en la Baja Edad Media. Asimismo, tuve la suerte de tener mis prácticas laborales en función de guía tanto en el Museo Diocesano de Córdoba como en la Sinagoga, siendo ésta última un símbolo de la cultura judía del Medievo a nivel no sólo andaluz, sino nacional.
