Andalusian regional government estimates repair costs for Cordoba's mosque-cathedral at one million euros

Andalusian regional minister of culture and sports Patricia del Pozo has announced that the emergency intervention plan for the area of the mosque-cathedral in Cordoba which was affected by the fire last Friday would be approved this Monday. The first estimates of the cost for the restoration project point to around one million euros.

In an interview on Onda Cero, Del Pozo praised the "excellent" work of the cathedral chapter in managing the monument and especially highlighted the "coordination" between all the parties involved - the city council, the regional government (Junta) and the cathedral clerics. She also revealed that the Ministry of Culture has offered to help from the very beginning.

The regional minister said that "no assessment of the causes of the fire" can be made before the release of the report. "Therefore, any kind of assessment, such as what the PSOE has done, seems imprudent at this time, to say the least," she stated.

"The mosque is safe," Del Pozo stressed, adding that the action protocol "worked perfectly" this time. The regional minister also praised the "impressive" and rapid action of the fire brigade, which significantly limited the extent of the damage.

Compared to the "immensity" of the 23,000 square metres occupied by the mosque-cathedral, "the damage is very, very, very localised, in approximately 50 or 60 square metres". "It is perfectly restorable, which is what we will do," Del Pozo stated, adding that the most damaged part of the temple is a recently restored roof, not one of the older structures.

When asked about the entity responsible for bearing the costs, Del Pozo said that she believes the cathedral chapter will be able to fully cover the repairs. "The mosque-cathedral is a monument that has millions of visitors every year," she said in support of the monument's financial capacity. "What is more important than the budget is coordination so that everything goes very well and very quickly," she said, alluding to the joint work of the Junta, the city council and the cathedral chapter, including the participation of the Ministry of Culture and Unesco.

Finally, she said that the master plan that the cathedral chapter has drawn up with the different institutions is currently being processed, covering not only the part of the mosque, but the entire historic centre of Cordoba. "We have absolute coordination and rapport between the institutions when it comes to heritage, as evidenced by this case," she concluded.