Strasbourg Mosque

Coordinates: 48°34′23.0″N 7°44′13.8″E / 48.573056°N 7.737167°E / 48.573056; 7.737167

The Strasbourg Mosque

The Strasbourg Mosque or Great Mosque of Strasbourg (French: Grande Mosquée de Strasbourg) is a large purpose-built Islamic mosque in the French city of Strasbourg. It is located on the banks of the Ill river in the Heyritz area, south of the Grande Île. It was inaugurated in September 2012 and has a capacity of 1,200 people.[1]

The mosque was designed by Paolo Portoghesi,[2] who also designed the Mosque of Rome. The design competition included a futuristic proposal by Zaha Hadid.[3] Construction was delayed several times, due to litigation with the main constructors and a decision by the centre-right municipal council of Fabienne Keller to prevent overseas funding.[4] The first stone of the new mosque was laid on 29 October 2004 by the then Mayor of Strasbourg Fabienne Keller.[5] She also revised the original building project, removing the planned study centre, auditorium and minaret and reducing the capacity of the prayer room by 50%.[6]

The mosque is frequented by Muslims of North African, mainly Moroccan origin. It hosts many conferences and seminars and has an extensive teaching programme for school-aged children.

The former mosque, in use from 1982 to 2012, consisted of a converted foie gras factory in the Impasse de mai in the centre of Strasbourg, near the law-courts.[7] It was not the first mosque to be established in Strasbourg. There have been mosques in the city since 1967 and there are now over twenty.

References

  1. ↑ Future Grande Mosquée de Strasbourg, article of 24 May 2009
  2. ↑ For Strasbourg, an Italian designer Mosque, Daily Star, Lebanon, 14 January 2005
  3. ↑ Zana Hadid's design at the Victoria and Albert Museum
  4. ↑ Le Point, 18 April 2009
  5. ↑ A giant mosque for Strasbourg, Brussels Journal, 1 April 2008
  6. ↑ Steven Erlanger: "A pro-church law helps a mosque, New York Times, 6 October 2008
  7. ↑ Histoires de mosquées, Schiltigheim : Editions Kalina, 2004, ISBN 2-914888-04-X
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