De “iglesia” tardoantigua a mezquita califal. Revisión arqueológicas de las estructuras conservadas en calle Rey Heredia 20 (Córdoba)

Abstract

En las inmediaciones de la actual Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba se conserva un imponente ediicio cuya secuencia estratigráica es muy compleja y su andadura histórica muy dilatada. Esta construcción, que a partir del siglo XIII funcionó como iglesia del antiguo convento de Santa Clara, ha sido objeto de numerosos estudios arqueológicos y arquitectónicos que no siempre han estado interconectados, generando numerosas dudas aún por esclarecer. Esta realidad, junto con la necesidad imperante de la revisión de las estructuras, tanto emergentes como exhumadas en el subsuelo, de la citada construcción, nos ha motivado a estudiar y a contextualizar de forma crítica su secuencia estratigráica bajo imperial, tardoantigua y andalusí (siglos III-XIII). Gracias a dicho análisis hemos podido matizar antiguas interpretaciones y plantear otras nuevas que pueden contribuir a mejorar nuestro conocimiento tanto de una polémica construcción preislámica vinculada a las clases dirigentes (domus o iglesia), como de la posterior mezquita califal.

Near the current Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, that is to say, in the heart of the historical center of the city, there is conserved an imposing building with a very complex stratigraphic sequence and a very substantial historical background. This construction, which served as a church in the former convent of Santa Clara from the 13th century, has been the subject of numerous archaeological and architectural studies that have not always been interconnected. This has generated doubts regarding the interpretation of the uses and functions of the aforementio- ned building in some of its phases, which in many cases still require further clariication. This reality, together with the prevailing and needed review of the structures, both emergent and exhumed in the subsoil, of the building, has motivated us to study and contextualize critically its stratigraphic sequence in the late imperial, late antique and andalusi centuries (in other words, from the 3rd to the 13th centuries). Thanks to this analysis, we have been able to reposition several traditional interpretations and to propose new ones, hoping that our work contributes to improve our knowledge about the controversial pre-Islamic construction linked to the ruling classes (domus or church) as well as about the later Caliphal mosque.