By Tyler Goldberger
When thinking about our weeklong journey in Andalusia, there are so many moments that stand out as special, meaningful, and awakening. The history covered in our academic course regarding the convoluted relationship between Christians, Muslims, and Jews in al-Andalus has really been engaging, and I wish I could express how visually seeing the construction of Christian iconography over a number of Islamic and Jewish places of worship demonstrated the complex nature of religion in Spain. If one were to visit Spain, they would be inundated by the constant reminders of Christian dominance and wealth in the Spanish Golden Age, especially since these leaders came to power by exerting force over other Abrahamic religions in the process. The prevailing narrative of Catholicism appears all throughout Andalusia, depicting the heroism of Catholic figures and architecture for the generations to come.
Our day in Granada emphasized the large role that Catholic leaders of the past still play in developing the identity of Andalusia. When entering the Alhambra, the state-of-the-art artistry and symbolism shows the beauty of Islamic culture and Arabic scripture. The fortress is adorned with some of the most beautiful fountains, flowers, and decorative rooms that I have ever seen in my life. It is truly amazing the amount of work and effort Muslim rulers put into “The Red” as its own functioning town.
The Alhambra was infiltrated by Christian rulers and redesigned in order to serve the needs of Charles V. This large complex serves as a symbolic shrine to the culture of the Islamic faith, yet Charles V decided to implant his own show of dominance within the Alhambra. Therefore, constructed right in the middle of this old Islamic fortress lies an unfinished Catholic palace. This directly hints at the power Charles V held following the official end of the reconqusitain 1492. This display supports the nation that the Catholic narrative was the one that was to remain the prominent story, re-signifying the history of Muslim leadership within al-Andalus in the process. Ironically enough, this monument was never finished and has never served a functional purpose, built only because this Catholic king wanted to demean Islamic power by asserting Christian dominance in a Muslim space.
Following the Alhambra tour, I yearned to learn more about how Christian iconography manifests itself in the last city that fell to the Reconquista. As I imagined, the fact that the Muslim community in Granada held up a fight for over 200 years following the fall of Sevilla (which essentially served as the last stronghold of Muslim rule in al-Andalus) would incite Catholic leaders to assert their dominance in this land. As we walked around the city, it did not take long to see the massive royal cathedral which started construction just 13 years after the Catholics officially conquered Granada. Luckily, we had the opportunity to tour both the Royal Cathedral and Royal Chapel, where Isabel and Ferdinand are buried today.
I was first drawn to these sites by their grandiose nature. They are large and placed prominently in the city, showing that these sites served as important meeting hubs and religious centers as the Catholics took over all of al-Andalus. Entering the royal cathedral, I immediately recognized just how important the Catholic Church was for members of the Christian community during this time. Christianity had to prove their power, especially since they had just taken over this land, so they decided to build an immaculate structure that reminds you of the religiosity of the site at every turn. The central mural, the ambulatory, the sacristy – all of these settings within the cathedral show the need to show Christianity as the prevailing narrative in Granada.
We also entered the Royal Chapel, a separate building that very much alluded to the power of the Christian leaders during this time. What amazed me most was the placement of Ferdinand and Isabel’s tombstones inside this religious site. Not only did the Christians have to remind the Muslim and Jewish communities of their dominance by completing the Reconquista and taking over the landmass of al-Andalus, but they also wanted these minority communities to be reminded constantly of the leaders who fervently legitimized the Inquisition against heretics. Therefore, they rested the remains of the leaders of the Jewish expulsion and manifestation of Christian dominance in the city that most stubbornly held on to its Muslim leadership. The Christian community capitalized on its newfound power to silence all other religious communities.
This overlap between Muslim identity and Christian power really appeared all throughout our trip to Granada. I was amazed at how stark the difference was between almost 800 years of Muslim rule in this city and the iconography of Christian religiosity that constructed itself directly following the finished Reconquista. I know that the overwhelming Christian identity that swept the city of Granada after 1492 would not have been acknowledged without visually seeing the layout of the city and overlapping religious identities that still present themselves in Granada today.
