Outside the Mezquita

Having visited Notre Dame of Paris, Strasbourg Cathedral, Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, Basilica di San Marco and many others, I can certainly say that Cordoba's Mezquita ranks as one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe. Although the exterior may seem a bit plain, it certainly hides well the surprising eye-opener you'll get when you step inside.

The church began as a Pagan temple, turned into a Visigoth Christian Church, after which it was converted by the Umayyad Moors into a mosque and finally becoming a Roman Catholic Church with a Cathedral at the center of the complex. Although there is notable wear and tear on the building's exterior, it only displays a fraction of its storied history.

Just looking at the impressive exterior facade, there were no real indications that this would be a Cathedral given its very Islamic feel in the architecture. If I wasn't looking at a map, I would never have guessed it.

Some other photos taken along the sides of this impressive monument. The architecture is really rather unique and you can feel it even by walking around the outside.

When you enter the main courtyard of the monument, you can see the distinct belltower of Cordoba Cathedral. The captured bells were taken from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostel.

Next stop, the interior!