The Minaret of San Sebastián: From mosque to church

Standing tall in the heart of Ronda, Malaga, Spain, the Minaret of San Sebastián tells a story that goes back to Arab construction. Originally part of a mosque, its history echoes the region’s rich history, with a fascinating blend of Arab and Christian influences. The Minaret has three bodies of varying heights. The lowest, made of stone, features a west-facing entrance adorned with a double-cordon, green glazed terracotta lintel. The lintel is decorated with cords forming a lozenge.

The lower walls differ in height on each of the four fronts, while the rest of the building is made of brick. On the western side, there’s a door with a lintel, bordered by a double stone cordon with dark green glazed terracotta inserts. This door leads to a small room with a vaulted ceiling and blind arches in the walls. Access to the upper part of the minaret was through the now-disappeared mosque. The second body is a rectangular panel with two window openings of herrdur arch.

This part retains some remains of brickwork decoration drawing triangles. The third and highest body, of Christian construction, has openings in all four fronts and is covered with four slopes.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons