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Spanish Authorities Accuse Catholic Church, a Former Mosque, of Distancing Itself From Islamic Past

A woman stands in the former Mosque of Cordoba in Cordoba in this January 20, 2007 file photo.
A woman stands in the former Mosque of Cordoba in Cordoba in this January 20, 2007 file photo. | (Photo: REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo/Files)

A Roman Catholic Church in Cardoba, Spain, which used to be a mosque, is facing a complaint from the regional government for attempting to distance itself from its Islamic past. Church officials have denied the accusations, however, and said that the Cordoba Cathedral continues to attract major tourist attention every year.

According to The Associated Press, Tourism Chief Rafael Rodriguez said church officials have been attempting to erase the cathedral's Islamic past on its website and on brochures, claiming that the move could hurt tourism to the area.

Denying the accusations, church officials noted that tourism to the region is growing, reaching over 1 million on an annual basis.

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The ancient cathedral is an icon of Spain's multi-religious and multi-cultural past, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Christians, Jews and Muslims used to live in harmony in Cordoba during medieval times.

The site was originally a Christian Visigothic temple, before it was transformed into a mosque following the Moorish invasion of Spain in the 8th century. It once again became a Christian place of worship after King Ferdinand III captured Cordoba from the Moors, and has officially been called "The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Cordoba" since the 13th century.

The building is popularly referred to as the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, as it combines the arches and marble columns of the 8th century mosque with the Renaissance and Baroque architecture of the cathedral.

The official website of the Cathedral includes detailed information about its history, including its time as a mosque.

Cathedral spokesman Jose Juan Gimenez Gueto said that the dispute is "an artificial controversy," and insisted that the church is proud of its historical past.

The Guardian noted that that there have been attempts to take the church away from Catholic control and into the hands of public management, with an online petition for the cause gathering over 350,000 signatures.

The debate also spilled over on Google Maps in November, when the site went from being called the Mosque-Cathedral to the Cathedral of Cordoba, only for the name change to be reversed two days later following another petition.

Gueto said that the name is constantly changing. "We have leaflets that say mosque-cathedral or the other way around. And some that just say cathedral. We're not denying its history – it was a mosque and now it's a cathedral. Nobody is going to deny this."

The church spokesman said that visitor numbers have been up in 2014 to almost 1.5 million, making it a record breaking year.

"The important thing is that people come from around the world and feel welcomed in this place," Gueto said.

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