(单词翻译:单击)
The Mezquita has always been a spiritual place, but has not always been occupied by the same religion.
科尔多瓦大清真寺一直都是宗教圣地，但却并非始终是同一宗教的圣地。
Nowhere else in the world will you find a cathedral built inside the walls of a mosque.
世界上再没有这样一个修建在清真寺院墙里的主教座堂。
Originally the site of a temple to the Roman god Janus,
最初这里供奉的是古罗马的两面神，
the Mezquita was built as a mosque after Córdoba came under Moorish rule in the late seventh century.
七世纪晚期，摩尔人统治科尔多瓦，该寺改建成了一个清真寺。
Then, in 1236, the city of Córdoba came under Christian rule and the Mezquita was converted to a church.
到了1236年，科尔多瓦市成了基督教的势力范围，清真寺又被改建成了教堂。
Four centuries later, a cathedral was constructed in its center
四百年后，该教堂中心又修建了一个主教座堂，
and it became a home for the town's Roman Catholics.
这里也成了镇上罗马天主教的精神家园。
While the cathedral's an example of classic Catholic Baroque architecture,
尽管主教座堂是典型的传统天主教巴洛克式建筑，
the majority of the Mezquita's construction is a result of the work of Islamic architects.
大教堂主体建筑采用的则是伊斯兰式的建筑风格。
Features like 856 columns and symmetrical arches give the illusion of infinite space.
多达856根的立柱，对称的拱形结构等设计，无不使教堂散发着无穷无尽之感。
These elements are examples of why the Mezquita is considered one of the greatest accomplishments in Islamic architecture in the world.
正是因为有这些元素，科尔多瓦大清真寺才被人们视为伊斯兰最伟大的建筑之一。
Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, over a million people visit every year
如今，这里已然成了联合国世界文化遗产，每年都有上百万游客来此参观，
and after all its history, it is now seen as a site of religious significance to both Catholics and Muslims.
尽管该寺历史纷繁复杂，如今无论是天主教还是穆斯林，科尔多瓦大清真寺都是他们的宗教圣地。
