Toledo Cathedral in Spain: history, architecture, tourist information

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Cathedral of Toledo in Spain houses more masterpieces of fine art than some European museums. It also has an interesting centuries-old history and complex architecture. For this reason, a detailed tour of the temple may take at least three hours.

Former capital

The first mention of Toledo can be found in Roman written sources dating back to the 2nd century BC. After 700 years, the city was captured and made its capital by the Germanic tribe of the Visigoths. During their 200 year reign, the Diocese of Toledo received the status of an archbishopric.

At the beginning of the 8th century, like many other Spanish cities, it became part of the Caliphate of Cordoba. Under the Moors, Toledo reached its peak, and the fame of its gunsmiths spread far beyond the Pyrenees.

During the war of liberation (reconquista), the city was liberated in 1085 by the troops of the Castilian king Alfonso VI. For the next 500 years, Toledo remained the capital until Philip IIdid not decide to move it to Madrid. Nevertheless, the city has not lost the status of the religious center of Spain to this day.

Primate's Chair

It is believed that already in the IV century on the site of the current Toledo Cathedral of St. Mary, by order of the first bishop of the city, a church was built. More reliable information about it dates back to the 6th century, when the Visigoth king Reccared converted from Arianism to Nicene Christianity, on the basis of which Catholicism was subsequently formed.

During the Arab rule, Toledo Cathedral was turned into the main mosque. After the liberation of the city, King Alfonso promised to keep the temple for the Muslims. However, in October 1087, taking advantage of the absence of the monarch and securing the consent of the Queen of Constanza, the Archbishop of Toledo, Bernard de Cedirac, seized the mosque by force, erected a temporary altar and hung a bell.

When Alfonso VI found out about this, he flew into a rage, preparing to take decisive action against those responsible. However, the Arab jurist Abu Walid interceded to save their lives, recognizing the justice of the usurpation. In the 15th century, the local archbishop paid tribute to Walid by erecting a statue of him. Thus, the mosque was transformed almost unchanged into the Cathedral of St. Mary, becoming the chair of the primate - the Archbishop of Toledo, who has the highest spiritual authority in the country.

Architectural ensemble

For the first time people thought about the reconstruction of the cathedral in the XIII century. Alfonso VIII and his adviser Archbishop Ximénez de Rada decided to build on the siteof the existing temple is new, similar to those already built in Burgos and León. But the death of the monarch put aside these plans for some time. The official groundbreaking ceremony took place four years later, in 1226. Construction progressed slowly. In the following century, the naves, the main façade, the base of the tower and the adjoining cloister were built. But it wasn't until 1493, with the completion of the last interior work, that Toledo Cathedral was completed.

Gothic building bears the imprint of the influence of Arabic architecture, characteristic of medieval Spain. The grandiose dimensions of the cathedral impress even today:

• length - 120 m;
• height - 44 m;
• width - 60 m.

In total, the roof of Toledo Cathedral, formed by 72 vaults, is supported by 88 columns. Unlike other religious buildings of that time, Toledo Cathedral has only one tower, built between the 14th and 15th centuries, where the famous bell weighing 17 tons is installed. Instead of a symmetrical tower, a chapel was built, the dome of which was painted by Jorge Manuel, son of El Greco.

Of the many chapels that make up the architectural ensemble of the Toledo Cathedral (Toledo), it should be noted:

• The Chapel of San Ildefonso, where the tombs of Cardinal Carrillo de Albornoz and some members of his family are located.
• The Chapel of Santiago, built in 1435 in the late Gothic style by order of the constable Don Alvaro de Luna as a family pantheon.
• The Chapel of the New Kings, erected in the early 16th century for the burial of the rulers of the Trastámara dynasty.

Masterpieces of painting

In the premises of the former sacristy of the Toledo Cathedral, where church utensils and liturgical vestments of priests were previously kept, an art gallery is now arranged. In the 16th century, the Italian painter Luca Giordano painted the plafond of the sacristy with a fresco, which has been well preserved to this day. But the central work of the exhibition is, without a doubt, the painting "Expolio" by El Greco.

Besides her, the former sacristy exhibits works by such masters of painting as:

• Titian;
• Van Dijk;
• Luis Morales;
• Goya;
• Velasquez;
• Caravaggio.

Toledo Cathedral and filioque

In this case, we are not talking about the temple, but about the meeting of the highest church hierarchs, held in Toledo in 589. It discussed an important issue concerning the addition to the Creed adopted by the Council of Nicaea in the 4th century. The Latin word filioque, which translates as "and from the son", was added to the said Symbol by the decision of the majority of church hierarchs in Toledo. This statement meant that the Holy Spirit could proceed from both the Father and the Son. Representatives of the Greek-Byzantine Church categorically disagreed with this, which later served as one of the reasons for the division of Christianity into Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

Toledo Cathedral opening hours

The temple continues to be used today forappointment. It hosts daily worship services. However, it is open to tourists all days:

• Monday to Saturday (10:00 - 18:00);
• Sunday (14:00 – 18:00).

However, for a total of 15 days a year, excursions are only possible on a special schedule. We are talking about Catholic holidays, a list of which can be found on the website of the cathedral. The cost of a full tour is 12.5 € (914 rubles), only visiting museums is 10 € (730 rubles).