For many reasons, Malaga’s Cathedral is a very interesting one. One of those reasons is the place where is located. A point where, apparently, the telluric forces are manifested with unusual intensity. Perhaps that is the reason why this place, precisely this one, was chosen for the worship by Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths and Muslims.
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For many reasons, Malaga’s Cathedral is a very interesting one. One of those reasons is the place where is located. A point where, apparently, the telluric forces are manifested with unusual intensity. Perhaps that is the reason why this place, precisely this one, was chosen for the worship by Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths and Muslims.
The Christian’s turn came after the conquest of the city by the Catholic Monarchs, in 1487. The first thing the Royal couple ordered was to convert the mosque into a church, which was done at high speed. But it was necessary to give it greater dimensions and face a more considerable work which began years later, probably thinking that it wouldn’t take long to finish it.
But it took a long time. Very long. All the years from 1528 to 1782, that is, about two and a half centuries, which, on top of all, they weren’t enough to finish the works completely. The cathedral was left with the nickname of La Manquita (one-arm girl) because the second tower was never completed, all caused by a string of problems and obstacles that lengthened the construction process during generations.
For that reason, the million dollar question is, which style does the monument belongs to? We must keep in mind that there are Renaissance parts, Baroque parts, Gothic elements, Neoclassical contributions and some traces of the mosque that was here for eight centuries.
This is what happens when a building like this goes through the centuries, currents and fashions. Those who worked, in the end, did not like the ideas of those who worked at the beginning, and every time they wanted to finish it, there was no money to do it. That happened at the end of the eighteenth century because according to what is said, the funds that were supposed to be used to finalise the work were sent to America to support their independence.
It looks like “La Manquita” did not have the wind of history on its side, but with complications and all is an architectural jewel, with fantastic vaults, an amazing mix of styles and an aesthetic in which, perhaps, the Renaissance dominates over the rest.
In any case, a wonder that is a must see.
