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Toledo, SpainPostcard Pretty and Packed with HistoryBy Toni Dabbs
Occupied by the Romans in the second century, the Visigoths (western Germanics) in the sixth and the Moors in the eighth, Toledo retains vestiges of each society. This is due in part to a tolerant Christian reign from the end of the 11th century until the end of the 14th, which allowed Muslims to remain in the city and welcomed an influx of Jews.
Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1987, Toledo is a popular day trip destination from Madrid. Visitors approach the city by one of five picturesque bridges spanning the Tagus. The oldest is the Alcantara, built by the Romans and restored by the Moors and later the Christians. To enter the city itself, they pass through one of nine gates in the defensive wall, where travelers to Toledo during the Middle Ages had to stop and pay a toll.
Tornereos Mosque, dating from the late 11th century, is of classic Moorish design, with slender columns and graceful arches. For more than 400 years, it was the only public place in Toledo where Muslims were allowed to congregate and pray. Today, it is the regional Center for the Promotion of Handicrafts.
Among buildings that continue to be used for their original purposes is Toledo Cathedral, begun in the 13th century and constructed over the next 300 years, a massive Gothic edifice with Mudejar, Baroque and Neoclassical elements. Its landmark steeple pierces a low-profile skyline of red tile roofs. The Cathedral's spacious and opulent interior includes: the choir, its 120 seats handcarved with individual decorations; the chapter house, its walls lined with portraits of former archbishops and cardinals; the treasury, sheltering, among other precious objects, an elaborate silver monstrance carried through the streets in the annual Corpus Christi procession; and the sacristy, displaying works by such famous artists as Velazquez, Titian, Rubens, Raphael, Goya and El Greco. During its rich history, Toledo has attracted aristocrats, intellectuals and artists, including El Greco, who resided there from 1579 until his death in 1614. His paintings are found throughout the city. One large and well known work, "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz," is on view at the Church of Santo Tome, built in the Mudejar style in the 14th century at the behest of Don Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, Master of the House of Orgaz, the painting's central figure.
Another major structure that bears witness to the region's volatile past is the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, built by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to commemorate their victory over the Moors in 1476. Shackles, fetters and chains hanging from its walls held Christian prisoners of the Moors before their liberation by the Catholic monarchs. Although the general appearance of Toledo has remained unaltered since the Middle Ages, much was crammed into its compact area before that time. Visitors who want to explore the city thoroughly and unhurriedly need to stay several days. Photos by Toni Dabbs FOR MORE INFORMATIONTourist Office of Spain Tourist Office of Spain Copyright 2002 by Toni Dabbs. This work, including photographs, is protected by copyright and may be used only for personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved, and commercial use is prohibited without permission of the author. |
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To a visitor
viewing Toledo from the opposite shore of the Tagus River, two
characteristics of the ancient Spanish city are immediately apparent: its
physical beauty; and its strategic location. No wonder succeeding forces
have sought to control it through the ages.
As a result,
churches, mosques and synagogues of varying vintages exist in close
proximity on a small but well protected site bounded on three sides by the
river gorge and on the fourth side by an imposing medieval wall.
Inside the
wall, past and present collide, as cars nose up narrow cobblestone
passageways past examples of Mudejar architecture, a composite style
developed by the Moors working under Christian rule. Some historic
structures, such as Cristo de la Luz Hermitage, built in 1000, stand
disused, while others house shops selling jewelry fashioned from damascene
(black steel inlaid with designs of copper, silver or gold wire) and cookies
molded from marzipan, two Toledo specialties.
Transito
Synagogue, built in the 14th century, incorporates influences from Gothic,
Islamic and Mudejar art, as well as Jewish motifs. It now contains the
Sephardic Museum, relating the history of Jews in Spain.
The
four-towered Alcazar, the Cathedral's only competitor for domination of the
Toledo skyline, began as a Roman redoubt, but its present style is 16th
century Renaissance. The setting for numerous battles from the Middle Ages
to the 20th century, it contains a military museum with a comprehensive
collection of uniforms and weapons.