On Wednesday, the Real Círculo de la Amistad hosted a lecture titled “The Mosque-Cathedral in the Face of an Earthquake: A Theoretical Case”, which presented the findings of studies conducted by the Department of Building Structures and Geotechnical Engineering at the Higher Technical School of Architecture (ETSA) of the University of Seville. These studies thoroughly analyzed how the monument would react to a hypothetical seismic event.

According to Professor Antonio Morales, the key to the monument’s resistance to earthquakes lies in its very structure, arranged in naves formed by arcades over columns, which provides flexibility against any movement. Additionally, through the simulations conducted, it was confirmed that in the most common earthquake scenarios, the Mosque-Cathedral would only suffer minor damage to the north façade of the Patio de los Naranjos, while the rest of the structure would withstand the earthquake without significant issues.

The event began with a welcome by the Dean-President of the Cathedral Chapter, Joaquín Alberto Nieva, who thanked the large group of attendees for their presence. He noted that this study is part of the various protection and prevention protocols established by the institution, which are constantly being reviewed and improved. Among these are the self-protection plan, the asset safeguarding plan, and the fire prevention plan—protocols largely unknown to the public but highly useful in the management of the monument.

Gabriel Rebollo, the building’s conservation architect, acknowledged that this study addresses an area not previously explored from a scientific standpoint, making the research “tremendously useful and important” for his ongoing work.

Next, members of the ETSA research team—specifically María Victoria Requena and Antonio Morales—spoke, highlighting that the study is pioneering, as it uses cutting-edge technology to create finite element numerical models, which enable the analysis of various proposed earthquake scenarios.