Rob Horgan
CORDOBA’S iconic Mezquita does not belong to anyone and can never be acquired, a town hall report has concluded.
The report claims that the mosque-cathedral is protected under law as being a ‘monument beyond the scope of human commerce’.
The report is the latest twist in a decade-long legal tussle involving the Church, local government and a public protest group.
The town hall’s general secretary Valeriano La Vela Pérez is now urging annulment of the Church’s ownership.
‘A site of outstanding universal value cannot be owned by an individual or an institution,’ the report states.
‘The Mezquita is a monument beyond the scope of human commerce and, by law, cannot be bought.’
Registered by the Bishop of Cordoba for just €30 in 2006, the purchase received the backing of the Heritage Office despite claims that it was illegal.
However, the Church claimed it was acting within mortgage law passed by Franco in 1946 which has allowed it to register thousands of properties in its name.
Since then, 4,500 churches, temples and cathedrals have been registered by the Catholic Church.
