Western calligraphy in La Mesquita in Cordoba

 La Mesquita used to be a mosque, there are plenty on examples of Arabic calligraphy there. They are all older than 1236, though, as in this year the city was conquered by Christians and the mosque changed into a Cathedral. Since that date all calligraphy there is Western. Few people notice them, but there some good examples of it.

The oldest are written in Lombardic versals. I can't see any date in them but the style is clearly mediaeval. What is peculiar is that both "A" and "E" have a double bar (the second example "E" only sometimes but "A" always). I don't understand what is written there, I guess it is in Latin.

Later epitaphs are written in classical capitalis, which means they are no earlier than Renaissance. Similar writing on arches above are dated. The letters on the epitaphs are very elegant, the ones on the arches less so, though both have typical Renaissance contractions, for example one letter being smaller and entirely inside another.

There are more epitaphs written in very graceful antiqua script. They are in Spanish and at least one is dated more or less the same as the rather cumbersome writing on the arches.

There is a book available, based on this blog.  

On the blog there is, so to speak, more room, one can show more illustrations there. Blogs, however, come and go, there is no certainty that it will be there ten years from now. The book, on the other hand, once you acquire it, will last, one can be sure of that.