Al Makkari tells us in the beginnings of the eleventh century, when the better part of Spain was still under the power of the Moslems. A chancellor of Abd-er Rahmann V had to assist at a nocturnal ceremony in a Mozarabic church in Cordoba. He reported, "I saw branches of myrrh tapestries and sunctiously decorated, while the sound of bells enchanted the ear and the splendor of the candles awakened the eyes. I remained reluctantly fascinated before the sight of the majesty and the holy joy that radiated through the area; I remember following with admiration the entrance of the celebrant and the adorers of Jesus Christ, clothed in admirable ornaments; the aroma of the old wine that the ministers discharged into the chalice, where the priest wetted his pure lips; the modest attire and the beauty of the children and adolescents who helped at the side of the altar; the solemn recitation of the psalms and the sacred prayers, all the rites at the end of this ceremony; the devotion and the solemn joy with which they celebrated and the fervor of the Christian people."