Do espaço público e do Sagrado: os casos do Obradoiro em Santiago de Compostela e da Mesquita-Catedral de Córdova

Abstract

This work explores the shape of collective space as an expression of a culture and therefore it finds in universal elements the foundation of permanent architecture and in circumstantial elements the image of each culture. The Obradoiro Square in Santiago de Compostela and the Mosque- -Cathedral of Cordoba are the case studies that support this research on types of space. The first, public, a priori, is the Plaza Mayor of the city, but as part of the acropolis of Compostela, it shows its sacred value towards the Christian religion. It combines emblematic buildings which depend on the outstanding presence of the Cathedral of Santiago. The Square totally submits itself to that building. The Mosque-Cathedral, by contrast, is a sacred building which close study shows that it has functioned, throughout the centuries, widely related to the civic life. More than a sacred building, the Mosque-Cathedral is a forum. To humankind, as heritage classified by UNESCO, these cases of collective space accumulate monumental value and become sacred objects to a universal community which goes beyond ethnic and religious differences. The urban principles of the early middle ages and the sociologic concepts of civic and religious culture put the Obradoiro Square and the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba in the context of their origins. These, together with the study of the city, architecture and monuments give rise to this thesis. The research of heritage values of each space and the analisis of their shapes and current programmes have produced a synthesis that justifies their universal value in the contemporary cultural environment. The consensual recognition of "architectural monsters"1 is promoted by the conservation of their shapes, as much as by the reflection on their relevant functions that allows its changes and, therefore, its suitability today. Through the survey of specific urban and architectural elements, of socio-cultural concepts and feelings of collective fascination, this dissertation aims to contribute to the clarification of categories granted to public or sacred space or even both.