Group of Mozarabic buildings on Iberian Peninsula

We have so far visited four of the buildings of this TWHS, scattered across Spain. Visigoths ruled Iberia after the collapse of the Roman Empire; they converted to Christianity and developed their own art and architecture, incorporating elements from Rome and Byzance. During the 8th century, Muslim Arabs took most of the peninsula, with independent Christian kingdom surviving only in the northernmost area (Asturias). Christians who stayed and lived in the Arabic kingdom were called “Mozarabes”. During the 10th century, Christians started to take back control of Spain, moving from north to south. In these newly (re) conquered territories, they built churches and monasteries combining all these different styles – for example, they had an extensive use of horseshoe arches and alfiz (the “frame” around the arch), already famous from Cordoba Mosque, mixed with symbols commonly used by Visigoths (birds, plants) and technics from Romans (basilical layout of the buildings, columns, etc). Some Mozarabes also moved northward as conditions for Christians became more difficult in the Arabic caliphate, and this contributed to an even bigger exchange of traditions and art between the different states.

San Miguel de Celanova was built as a private chapel next to a monastery. That’s a tiny building from mid of 10th century, and this is probably what saved it: the monastery grew and was rebuild at different times, but the chapel remained intact in the backyards. It is claimed to be the only totally intact “mozarabic” building in Spain, hence its great importance. From …

In July 2020 I visited 2 locations of this tentative WHS, namely the Mozarabic Church of San Cipriano in Cebrian de Mazote (top photos) and the Mozarabic Church/Ossuary of Santa Maria in Wamba (bottom photos), both close to Valladolid. Something worth keeping in mind when visiting is that both are closed on Mondays.

The Mozarabs were the Iberian Christians who lived under Moorish rule in Al-Andalus. Although their descendants remained unconverted to Islam, they were mostly fluent in Arabic and adopted elements of Arabic culture. The local Romance vernaculars, heavily permeated by Arabic and spoken by Christians and Muslims alike, have also come to be known as the Mozarabic language. Most of the Mozarabs were descendants of Hispanic Christians and were primarily speakers of Mozarabic (late Latin of Iberia) under Islamic rule. They also included those members of the former Visigothic ruling elite who did not convert to Islam or emigrate northwards after the Muslim conquest. Spanish Christians initially portrayed Muslims primarily as military or political enemies, but with time, Islam came to be seen as a religion and not merely a threat.

The Mozarabs of Muslim origin were descendants of those Muslims who converted to Christianity following the conquest of Toledo, and perhaps also following the expeditions of King Alfonso I of Aragon. When comparing this tWHS to the already inscribed Mudejar architecture it is worth mentioning that the Mozarabs of Muslim origin who converted en masse at the end of the 11th century are totally distinct …