Caliphate Vaults and Architecture in Andalusian Art

Posted on Jan 20, 2025 in History

Different Treatments

Vano horseshoe and alfices superimposed. At the top, the doorway is a square with a lattice that connects the floor of the Sabbath and the Treasury. This creates a harmonious model. The door to the Sabbath is lintel. They have been restored from the nineteenth century. These two spaces, the side chapel, became the cathedral. Just before the mihrab, these three spaces are covered by Caliphate vaults, a characteristic of Andalusian art. The oldest are the three listed on the part of the Maksura and the Skylight Chapel, dating back to the mid-tenth century.

Function of the Vaults

Its function was to ennoble the space and was reserved for important areas. The presence of these vaults stresses the plant T. Its origin could be Roman, or Eastern (Christian or Muslim world), or Armenian, or Iranian. All are after the eleventh century. In reality, no such precedents could be without their origin in Byzantium.

Byzantine Influence

The Caliphate vaults, intended to ennoble spaces, must be related to the galloned vaults of Byzantine origin. Byzantine architecture had political and cultural relations with Byzantium. Works of art and materials came from Byzantium. In the Romanesque period and North Africa, examples of Caliphate vaults were also found.

The Skylight Chapel Vault

The vault of the Chapel of the Skylight is the most unusual because it covers a rectangular area. It has two pairs of nerves parallel, two by two, that create a square in the center. Half of the sides have pairs of nerves that are arranged at an angle of 45°, forming a diamond. This creates 16 fillings covered with galloned vaults.

Vaults at the Corners and Center

At the corners, there are small vaults and a galloned dome in the center, arranged in a square space. The hexagonal shape is achieved through tubes, allowing the opening of windows to encourage natural light.

Dome Before the Sabbath

The dome is placed before the Sabbath and the door of the Treasury, which would subsequently have a huge spread. The square space transitions to the octagonal dome through tubes. On the front, they are shaped like a horseshoe arch, and inside, a gallon. On the sides of the octagon, pillars arise, and from them leave pairs of nerves that create an eight-pointed star. In the middle, the octagonal dome is covered with a gallon. The fillings are covered with various geometrical designs or gallons.

Vault Before the Mihrab

The vault placed in front of the mihrab continues the facade decoration on the cover of mosaics, with tiles covered in gold. The octagonal square space passes through the tubes. Lobed arches and galloned vaults are found abroad in the tubes. They are from the tenth century.

Nerves and Drums

From the columns, there are two pairs of nerves that form two squares rotated by 45°. These vaults are located on drums, similar to the Byzantine style. Lattices are placed in the openings to diffuse light. They have a very rich decoration. In the central space, the plant decoration continues. An inscription in Kufic characters appears around it.

Exterior of the Expansion

The exterior of the expansion is threefold:

• The South Wall: Kiblah

In that area, balconies were opened in the eighteenth century. There is a bit of the wall next to the mihrab of Al-Hakem II.

There are three monumental gates. The plant is called Postigo de Palacio. The gate of Al-Hakem II was restored in the Gothic period. The other two doors are known as the Gate of the Holy Spirit and the Puerta de San Ildefonso. Velasquez Bosco restored them in the nineteenth century.

The portion of the outer wall repeats the doors used since the completion of St. Stephen.