A fire broke out on Friday evening in the historic mosque of the city of Cordoba, which was converted into a Christian cathedral, but the building is “safe“, said local authorities, quoted by DPA. The cathedral, officially called “Assumption of the Virgin“, is known among the locals of the city as “Mezquita“, which in Spanish means “the mosque“, since during the Moorish era it was the Great Mosque of Cordoba, writes BTA.
The mayor of Cordoba, José María Bellido, said late last night to the local television “Cadena“ that the fire was under control. “The monument is safe. There are no open flames. There will be no catastrophe,“ Bellido reassured.
The fire was extinguished at 10:30 p.m. local time (01:30 a.m. Bulgarian time - editor's note), the newspaper “Pais“ reported, citing information from the police.
The city of Cordoba was the capital of Moorish Spain, and the building was the largest and most impressive mosque in Europe. The mosque was converted into a cathedral after the Spanish Reconquista of Cordoba in the 13th century, and later a Gothic cathedral was built in the center of the building. In 1984, it was included in the World Heritage List.