The Cathedral Used To Be a Mosque

Centuries ago, diverse religions peacefully coexisted in Cuenca, Spain. Now a pair of motivated historians announced to mount a Cultural Studies Center here, with an eye on promoting tolerance through education and celebration of the city's historical legacy. Devora Rogers and Kate Jetmore report

Perched atop a narrow outcropping of rock between two stunning gorges sits Cuenca, an ancient city in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain which dates back at least 1100 years. In its earliest days, it was home to nomadic tribes, later Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in relative harmony.

Today, the city is 98% Catholic, Moroccan immigrants live on the outskirts of acceptance, and the Synagogue exists only in the minds of scholars. But the Mediterranean Cultural Studies Center's focus on Sephardic, Arabic and Greco-Latin cultures seeks to cut across all barriers and find a common human denominator.

Shortly before the Inquisition, after hundreds of years of peaceful coexistence, all non-Catholics were driven out of the city. But six centuries had left their mark. The Jewish quarter, Arab fortresses, and places of worship all remained. Throughout the Inquisition, the Spanish Civil War, and the Franco years, forgotten pieces of a life that once was, were buried beneath churches, plazas, and monasteries.

Until now.

Different bathing times for different religions

"In the Middle Ages, the public baths were here in the main square", explains Gustavo Villalba, Historian and Co-Director of the Mediterranean Cultural Studies Center in Cuenca. "At the time it was one of the best examples of the city's tolerance. There were laws which regulated the baths for the three religions. They all had the right to use the baths, but on different days."

He says the Center hopes to mark and commemorate once-sacred sites so that locals and tourists alike might be reminded of the city's cultural heritage. The most important building for the now-forgotten Arab community was located in the center of town, in a most surprising place.

Mónica Olalla, Doctor of Semitic Language and Literature, is Director of the center: "The Mosque of Cuenca was destroyed and the Cathedral was built in its place. So the place of the mosque was actually there, in the Cathedral."

"Do you think anyone knows in Cuenca that there was once a Mosque where their proud Cathedral now stands?" I ask Ms Olalla.

"I think that most people don't know," she says.

Ancient Arab wells beneath the science museum

The former mosque and baths in the main square are not the only forgotten treasures. While constructing a parking garage last year, construction workers came upon sacred Jewish ritual baths. And beneath the science museum are ancient Arab wells and remnants such as pottery and cooking utensils. But despite the abundance of evidence that Cuenca's current society wasn't the first, few seem to remember.

Although Olalla says people have a vague idea that Arabic and Jewish peoples formed an important part of Spanish history, today there is a grand total of four Jews in Cuenca and a marginalized Muslim community which has just begun to make inroads in the city.

Abdel Ben Djarmaq, a Morroccan immigrant living in Cuenca says that while he has not encountered much prejudice in here, he hopes the Center will be helpful in opening the community's eyes:

Seeing beyond the clichés

"It would be nice if they knew about us and our culture, beyond the clichés... There are many things people here don't know; they just see the negative aspects... But we were here for eight centuries, that's a long time, and we left a lot behind."

Gustavo Villalba says such a lack of knowledge can be dangerous. That makes the need for the Center all the more urgent.

"Even if it's only a small step, we want to do something against intolerance. And we're convinced that education is the key to living in peace. With a good education, we engage in dialogue, and we try to understand differences in others. That's our spirit of tolerance."

The Center is the first of its kind in Cuenca, and it has ambitious plans. With support from the Israeli embassy, the Jewish community of Madrid, the Spanish Islamic Institute and the Institute of Greco-Latin Theater, an array of projects is being undertaken: Publications, art and photography exhibitions, an international music festival, research grants, gastronomic events, and roundtable discussions.

History's lesson: If you fall down, put up a sign

The center's directors and supporters hope an enriched dialogue and greater tolerance will result. Villalba says looking to the past for clues is essential:

"Why is history so important? I will tell you why: If history is forgotten, we will continue to make the same mistakes. Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, the Spanish Romantic poet, said it very well: 'If you fall down, get back up, and before you start walking again, look where you have fallen and put up a sign.' And it's that simple... be aware of your history and the steps man has taken, to avoid making the same mistakes."

Historians say the Inquisition has caused tragic cultural losses for Spain. However, half a millennium later, it seems the Center for Mediterranean Cultural Studies is giving Cuenca a second chance to regain its cultural memory and perhaps, bring its diverse nature back to life.

Devora Rogers and Kate Jetmore