Wednesday, October 27 Toledo Cathedral, Toledo Spain

Please enjoy the following pictures.  These are not ones I took but pictures that were easily available from the internet.  My pictures will take a little more time to convert to be available for posting.


On our first full day in Spain it took about one hour by bus from our hotel in Madrid to Toledo.  Toledo was originally the capital of Spain.  This cathedral was only one, but an important one of the many sites we saw that day.


This cathedral is over 700 years old and took over 200 years to complete.  The town of Toledo has existed since 400 ad.


I have never, nor did I ever think it was possible to set foot inside something as beautiful as this cathedral.  I was so overcome with emotion I fought back tears.  I will most certainly never ever forget this experience.

Toledo Cathedral
Toledo Cathedral stands on the site of the Great Mosque of Toledo, which itself had replaced a Visigothic church. Built from 1226 to 1493, the long process is reflected in Toledo Cathedral's variety of stylesin Toledo, Spain, is ranked among the greatest Gothic structures in Europe. Inside, the cathedral contains important masterpieces including a spectacular baroque high altar and two paintings by El Greco.



In the display of art in the Sacristy, highlights include Goya's Arrest of Christ on the Mount of Olives and El Greco's Twelve Apostles and Spoliation of Christ (El Espolio). The latter, one of El Greco's earliest works in Toledo, offended the Inquisition, which accused the artist of putting Christ on a lower level than some of the onlookers. El Greco was thrown into prison, where his career might have ended had he not by this time formed friendships with some of Toledo's more moderate clergy.

There are more than 20 chapels throughout the cathedral, many of which house fine tombs. The richly decorated Capilla de Santiago, in the northeast corner of the ambulatory, contains the magnificent Gothic marble monuments of Condestable Álvaro de Luna and his wife (1488).

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