Five tenth century carved Moorish beams from Córdoba Mezquita finally went under the hammer at Christie's auction house in London yesterday, more than two years after Spanish authorities managed to block the sale in an ultimately failed attempt to acquire them.

They ended up going to an anonymous bidder, who paid one and a half million euros, 15% of which will be donated to the Cáritas Diocesanas catholic charity.

Córdoba cathedral beams auction postponed
By: valencialife.net
Tuesday, April 4, 2006

The auction house Christie's yesterday announced that it was suspending the public auction of five beams from Cordoba's Mezquita cathedral. The beams, which date from the tenth century, were supposed to go under the hammer today. The sale was suspended whilst Christie's negotiates their direct sale with representatives from the Spanish Culture ministry and the assessor of historic patrimony from the Andalucian regional government.

According to a Christie's spokesman, the beams could fetch between €146,000-438,000 at auctions, but was naturally unwilling to confirm the reserve price at this stage of the negotiations.

Last week, two representatives from Córdoba cathedral, Fernando Cruz Conde and Manuel Nieto Cumplido, were in London to verify the authenticity of the beams.

Although Christie's have been unable to fully explain how the beams came to be removed from the cathedral in the first place, they insist that the sale is legal.

Córdoba Mezquita, which originally dates from the 8th century is a masterpiece of Moorish architecture. It was converted into a cathedral after the city was reconquered by Castilla León forces in the 13th century.

The only thing that is known for sure is that the beams were removed before 1928 when an inventory was carried out by the architect, Félix Hernández.