The mysterious story behind the ‘Column of Hell’ in the Mosque-CathedralA. SANCHEZ
Have you been in the Mosque-Cathedral From Cordoba? If so, you will know that one of the elements that attract the most attention are the about 1,300 columns that the temple hasand that shape the most representative monument of the city, erected into an icon of the same that reflects its past of mixing cultureswith the umayyad legacy as its greatest exponent and its subsequent conjunction with the Christian world after the Reconquista.
Of all these columns there is one that stands out among the others for the legend it holds. It is known as “Hell’s Column“, which was built by the devil. We tell you the story.
The columns of the Mosque-Cathedral
The Mosque-Cathedral is, together with the Alhambra of Granada, the greatest example of the Andalusian heritage legacy. He started to erected at the end of the 8th century and suffered until three extensions, at the hands of the caliphs Abderramán II, Abderramán III and Almanzor. Its 1,300 columns reflect that legacy, appreciating differences in styles and materials between each one of them, making each one of them practically unique.
Panoramic of the Mosque-Cathedral.
With the arrival of Ferdinand III The Saint and the reconquest of the city, it was decided build a cathedral inside the temple, as well as various chapels. The decision continues to be questioned today, but the truth is that it offers a unique result in the world, when a Muslim temple merges with a Christian cathedral, to offer the visitor a magical and very special monument.
The column of hell
Among all the pillars, there are some that stand out, but we are going to stop at the so-called “Column of Hell.” This It stands out from the rest because it is protected by a screenwhich contains one of the legends More popular From Cordoba.
Also called “Column of the Complacent” either “Angel Column“, the mystery points out that it has magical properties. It is slightly inclined and presents a very pronounced weardistinguishing different grooves.
The ‘column of hell’ of the Mosque-Cathedral.
And the story goes that it was carved in the depths of hell, hence the characteristic sulfur smell that it gives off and which has been mitigated by the hood. Formerly, everyone who passed by her scratched it with a coinhence the aforementioned lines.
Also, it is said that if you stand still next to it for several minutes, you will be able to hear the former visitors scratching the column. Researchers have determined that this odor is fruit precisely of rubbing the reales and pesetas withshecausing the reaction.
To avoid causingfurther damage, it was decided to protect it. It is not the only column of the Mosque-Cathedral to which strange phenomena are associated, since several of them are attributed healing properties.
