Experts question the use of the chapel where the fire at the Mosque of Córdoba originated as a warehouse.

The flames were extinguished just after 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, but the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba cannot rid itself of the aroma of burning embers that has remained impregnated in the Patio de los Naranjos and the interior of the temple. It is the olfactory reminder of what could have been a heritage tragedy and that, thanks to the rapid intervention of the firefighters, has been limited to two chapels in the nave that houses theAlmanzor extension, a succession of arcades that began to be built in the 10th century. The fire, which started just after 9:00 p.m. on Friday, affected the room that was used as a warehouse and the adjacent chapel of the Annunciation, whose altarpiece, with a 19th-century painting, has been the most damaged, confirmed this Saturday morning the dean of the Mosque-Cathedral, Joaquín Alberto Nieva. Although he also stated: "The damage has been very minor."

This "minor damage" extends to one of the arches that borders the eastern wall of the temple, declared a World Heritage Site in 1984, whose vaults are chipped and tarnished by soot left by the smoke, and to two chapels that are covered in black. The most affected is the one that serves as a warehouse and was where, according to initial hypotheses, the fire started as a result of a short circuit in a sweeper, an electric machine used for cleaning.

The other is the Chapel of the Exaltation or the Annunciation, opened in the 13th century, whose roof collapsed at dawn on Saturday. Its altarpiece, featuring a 19th-century painting of the Annunciation, is the most damaged, according to the dean, who indicated that some of the altarpiece's sculptures may have fallen. However, the chapel, which served as a storage area for maintenance equipment, appears to be in the worst condition. One of its columns is propped up.

Despite the efforts of the Chapter, the body that manages the monument, to minimize the impact of the fire, it's impossible not to be shocked by the shock of seeing the mutilated arcade roof and the two chapels stained black. Visitors to the church this Saturday were unable to see this sight because the entire nave of the Almanzor Chapel extension, which extends along the eastern side just behind the main altar, was closed to the public, and the area most affected by the fire was also marked by a security barrier.

The Chapter sought to project an image of normality, but a large part of the temple, one of the greatest examples of Islamic and Andalusian architecture, was closed to visitors. "The fire tried to spread, but it rose upwards and was contained," one of the technicians guarding the access to the affected area explained to this newspaper. Once the shock of the fire had passed, and with the relief that the flames did not reach the oldest part of the cathedral, the mihrab or the original mosque, which dates back to the 8th century and has wooden coffered ceilings rather than the thatched vaults that were affected, questions are beginning to arise about why the fire started.

The Mosque-Cathedral Platform , which has always ensured that the temple maintains its Andalusian essence in the face of the Archbishopric's whims to impose Catholic symbolism, questions not only the rush to open the mosque to the public this Saturday, but also the fact that a chapel in a World Heritage building is being used for storage purposes. These are questions also raised by other experts consulted by this newspaper, but who prefer to remain anonymous until they know the exact official report on the origin of the flames and the extent of the damage.

"This platform has been denouncing the storage of furniture and structures inside the temple for years, questioning whether the spaces of a World Heritage monument can serve as a warehouse and storage room with a dangerous lack of risk prevention," says Miguel Santiago, its spokesperson, who also expresses surprise that the temple opened to the public this Saturday "without allowing for a calm investigation or a process of assimilation by the public of what happened." The platform warns that if the investigation determines that the fire was the result of negligence, this incident could constitute a crime against heritage.

José Juan Jiménez Güeto, canon of the mosque-cathedral , tells this newspaper that the use of this chapel as a warehouse "has always been contemplated and is included in the self-protection plans." However, he acknowledges that, "on its own initiative, the Chapter had acquired two buildings to house all these belongings there." The 2000 Master Plan, approved by the Regional Government of Andalusia, lists various buildings "to ensure the preservation of the building and effectively address the needs of its use and management," and cites "secondary or storage" spaces inside that should be "cleared."

“This should serve as a warning,” says architect Rafael de la Hoz, who worked on the latticework of the mosque-cathedral in 1970. “A specific plan should be necessary to address all the uses of this temple—tourism, religious, and maintenance—and it should be permanent,” he argues. De la Hoz draws attention to the profusion of furniture, screens, and wiring in the temple, which “is increasingly being used as a theater for events; it's a multipurpose space.” The dean acknowledged this morning that they will have to “learn” from what happened and noted that new fire safety systems are planned to be implemented in the fall.

The experts consulted do demand to know the type of work carried out on the roofs of the affected chapels, whose restoration dates back to 2015. "This building is a wooden structure, and during fires, a carbon layer forms on the beams that protects the interior, but when the cross-section is reduced, it loses its strength. This was one of the reasons that led to the collapse of one of the chapels," the fire chief explained, explaining the roof collapse.

In addition to analyzing the origin and extent of the damage, the essential thing is to design a restoration plan. A plan that, as Güeto assures, will be carried out by the Chapter, which "has a contingency fund in case of mishaps." With this, he seeks to silence critical voices who point out that the Church claimed ownership of the mosque-cathedral in 2006 with a highly dubious registration, which is why it should be the one to pay for the restoration of the temple. The mayor of Córdoba, José María Bellido , has expressed the need for his mayor's office, the Regional Government of Andalusia, and the Spanish Government to be involved "in restoring our building."

The Chapter, as the Dean has acknowledged, has already contacted UNESCO and ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, which advises this UN organization, to inform them of what happened. In any case, the restoration plan only requires the approval of the Regional Government of Andalusia and the municipal Urban Planning Department, "although both UNESCO and the Spanish Government will monitor the process," he indicated. The Andalusian Minister of Culture, Patricia del Pozo, has indicated that the procedures will be expedited to facilitate the process. A source familiar with the operation of ICOMOS in Spain indicates that she assumes the Chapter will request the organization's opinion and also requests "the organization's evaluation of the events and the value of the affected elements" to determine the position to be adopted.

Meanwhile, the smell of burning continues to emanate from the walls and arches of the Mosque. It is a reminder that all the unknowns remain about what jeopardized the survival of a symbolic building and how to prevent it from being endangered again.