Catedral de Toledo | Toledo, Spain

[Matthieu]

Toledo Cathedral was built on the site originally occupied by the church consecrated in 578, in the time of Recaredo, and later by tbe Moslem mosque which, during the Reconquest was transformed into a church. As this was aging and becoming out of step with the town's development, the buildig of the present Catbedral commenced, when Don Rodrigo Xim‚nez de Rada was Archbishop. The King St. Ferdinand and the Archbishop laid tbe first stone in 1226 when, apparently, work had already begun. During the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, wben Don Pedro González de Mendoza was Archbishop of Toledo, the last vaults were closed in. In 1238 tbe 15 chapels of tbe apse aisle were completed and in 1247 the Chapel of St. Eugene was finished. The transept was completed around 1300, for the northern gable wall and the Clock Gate appear to be of tbis period. Nevertheless, construction work continued during the following two centuries.

Toledo Cathedral is one of the largest in the Christian world. As far as Gothic is concerned, it is surpassed only by the cathedrals of Seville and Milan. It has five naves, but its transept does not project outwards, as is the case of Notre Dame of Paris and Bourges Cathedral.

Toledo Cathedral, 120 metres long and 59 wide, must be viewed from the interior, where its grandeur may be appreciated, as the narrow streets of Toledo do not afford a sufflciently broad perspective of its exterior. The roof; which in the central nave reaches a height of 44.50 metres, is held up by 88 columns. The Cathedral receives its light through more than 750 stained glass windows, from the l4th, 15 th and l6th centuries, the work of the best artists of those times.

In view of its architectural and artistic uniqueness within the Cathedral as a whole, it is impossible not to mention here the Altar Window. This is the final complement to the chancel. It is formed by a series of architectural elements and marble sculptures stirred by a convulsive movement, and receives the light from an orifice in the roof of the building. The rococo style characterising all the elements which make up the famous Altar Window differs patently from the predominant Gothic of the Cathedral. This has given rise to a great controversy as to whether it is compatible or not with the church of which it forms part. It should not be forgotten that the Cathedral is a living building, on which every generation has experienced the irrepressible desire to leave its artistie mark. The Altar Window shows the supreme impact of a very Spanish style which, although abounding in tasteless adornments, offers a general effect of beauty.
The Window was created by the architect, sculptor and painter Narciso Tome, assisted by his four sons.

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[Raine]

9,5/10

[Koniaczeq]

Yeah really GREAT 9,5/10

[Phobos]

8/10

[DamienK]

8/10

[therock]

9/10

[Fabio]

9/10

really nice

[Ellatur]

8.5/10

[claroscuro]

9.5/10.

I love it!

[rufi]

10. A masterpiece.

[centralized pandemonium]

Fantastic. 9.5

[nova]

The level of detail is pretty amazing.

9.5/10. :)

[B@dGuYoM]

8/10

[Wicky]

Just beauty 9/10.

[nukey]

9/10
I love the leaning dome

[Arpels]

9,5 fantastic!!

[Monkey]

8/10

[forvine]

8.5/10

[Sinjin P.]

9/10 wonderful.

[Mosaic]

8/10

[Valia]

10/10

one of my favourites cathedrals at world, that is a great old architecture for sure

[Miguel_Prat]

10/10

[clarky]

9.5/10

[marpa]

9,5/10

[delmaule]

8/10

[gutooo]

10!

One of my favorite!

[Sbz2ifc]

8/10

[kamil.bukowski]

7.5/10

[Popiel]

9/10

[SkyLerm]

10/10 when you see this in real you get amazed!

[LMCA1990]

10/10

[Nikkodemo]

9/10

[W!CKED]

10/10

[stasiua]

9,5/10

[oduguy1999]

Toledo Cathedral-Toledo, Spain
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, also called Primate Cathedral of Toledo, is a church in Spain. The seat of the Archdiocese of Toledo, it is one of the three 13th century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered to be the magnum opus[1] of the Gothic style in Spain. It was begun in 1226 during the reign of Ferdinand III and the last Gothic contributions were made in the 15th century when, in 1493, the vaults of the central nave were finished, during the times of the Catholic Monarchs. It was modeled after Bourges Cathedral, although its five naves plan is the consequence of the constructors' intention to cover all of the sacred space of the former city mosque with the cathedral, and of the former sahn with the cloister. It also combines some characteristics of the Mudéjar style, mainly in the cloister, and with the presence of multifoiled arches in the triforium. The spectacular incorporation of light and the structural achievements of the ambulatory vaults are some of its more remarkable aspects. It is built with white stone from Olihuelas, close to Toledo. The cathedral is one of Toledo's major touristic points of interest and can be visited for a fee (as of Dec. 2008, 7 EUR). The fee is waived for Spaniards on Sunday possibly contravening European anti-discrimination laws.
The structure of the building is greatly influenced by the French Gothic of the 13th century, but adapted to Spanish taste. It measures 120 metres in length by 59 metres in width. It consists of five naves with transept and double ambulatory, transepts and a double ambulatory. The outer naves present an odd anomaly in being a little wider than the other two. The oldest part of the temple is the sanctuary, which maintains in its architecture the original triforia that extended along the length of the naves and were removed in one of the many reforms and evolutions that the cathedral underwent. Still in the Gothic period, these triforia were replaced with large stained-glass windows. Those triforia that survive of the sanctuary are of mudéjar influence. The lowest section is made of cusped arches that rest on paired columns and the upper section presents interlaced arches typical of mudéjar. It is not known if these mudéjar themes existed in the previous mosque and were copied as a reminder or if they were added in one of the improvements and enrichments of the stonework, as something original and tasteful.

In the sanctuary, one encounters the double ambulatory, which is double as would correspond to a ground plan of 5 naves. This double ambulatory is of grand proportions and is enriched with architectural elements and an original vaulting. The sections of the chapel were solved with alternate plans of rectangles and triangles, which made for each chapels to be of a different size, rectangular planes being larger and triangular plans smaller. This method of distributing the sanctuary can be seen in the French cathedrals of Notre Dame in Paris, Bourges and Le Mans, the last cathedral being the most similar in appearance although the three are slender, as a whole, than the Spanish cathedral. The various reforms that were made over time altered the arrangement of some of the chapels, for example, in one case only one chapel was reconstructed in the space of three.
During the 16th, 17 and 18th centuries, there occurred various works in the cathedral, according to the new styles, architectural works (doors, chapels, chapels) and sumptuous works of sculpture and painting. The 16th century is the golden age for Toledo which is called Imperial City. The best and most active patrons lived during this century. It is the archbishop-governors who, in the absence of the kings, care for the city and its magnificence. In 1493, at the end of the 15th century, Cardinal Mendoza supervised the closing of the last vaults of the cathedral and expressed in his will his desire to be buried in the presbyterium. In the first decade of the 16th century, the cenotaph was built in Renaissance style. This excellent work is attributed to Domenico Fancelli.

Later Cardinal Cisneros occupied the post. Under his influence and sponsorship important works were made (perhaps the most important work was the Mozarabic chapel), realized by masters of the stature of Juan Francés (grill of the Mozarabic chapel), Enrique Egas, Juan de Borgoña (pictures of the Mozarabic chapel) and its main master Pedro de Gumiel. Cisneros also ordered the magnificent main retable to be built, work of Diego Copín de Holanda and the high cloister for the canonical community, plus the library. He was followed by Guillermo de Croy, Flemish, who never resided in Toledo. Alfonso de Fonseca y Acevedo (who had been archbishop of Santiago de Compostela) was the promoter of the New Kings chapel, work of the architect Alonso de Covarrubias with paintings from Mariano Salvador Maella (18th century).

With bishop Juan Tavera, Toledan Renaissance is found in its grand splendor. Under his governance, the magnificent chorus of Alonso Berruguete and Felipe Vigarny, the interior façades of the transept, the chapel of Saint John or of the Treasure and other façades and adornments were constructed. With Juan Martínez Siliceo, the cathedral was seen adorned with the splendid grill of the main chapel, work of Francisco de Villalpando.

Cardinal Gaspar de Quiroga was responsible for the architectural complex of the chapel of the Tabernacle, Reliquary and the courtyard and house of the treasurer. The appearances and plans were from the main master Nicolás de Vergara el Mozo. To construct this complex, the Hospital of the King was demolished which was again raised opposite of its former site and whose works were brought to completion with the great cardinal Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas and with the architect Nicolás de Vergara, now beginning the 17th century.

During the 16th, 17 and 18th centuries, there occurred various works in the cathedral, according to the new styles, architectural works (doors, chapels, chapels) and sumptuous works of sculpture and painting. The 16th century is the golden age for Toledo which is called Imperial City. The best and most active patrons lived during this century. It is the archbishop-governors who, in the absence of the kings, care for the city and its magnificence. In 1493, at the end of the 15th century, Cardinal Mendoza supervised the closing of the last vaults of the cathedral and expressed in his will his desire to be buried in the presbyterium. In the first decade of the 16th century, the cenotaph was built in Renaissance style. This excellent work is attributed to Domenico Fancelli.

The retable of the Cathedral of Toledo is Gothic and flowered, and one of the last manifestations of this art which was disappearing to give way to the Renaissance. Commissioned by Cardinal Cisneros, the work was begun in 1497 and ended in 1504. Between the architects, painters and sculptors who intervened in this collective master work were: Enrique Egas and Pedro Gumiel (design), Francisco de Amberes and Juan de Borgoña (quilting and polychromy), Rodrigo Alemán, Felipe Vigarny, Diego Copín de Holanda y Sebastián de Almonacid (religious images), and Petit Juan or Peti Joan or Petit Jean (carving and filigree).[7]

The retable includes an important statuary and a magnificent and delicate filigree of balusters, spires, small dossals, chambranles, all work by Petit Juan. It contains a continuous altar and predella, five bays, the center bay being the widest, and five stories with a line of separation not horizontal but stair-stepped. The themes of the central bay from bottom to top are: figure of a seated Virgin with Baby plated in silver (on the predella). Above this is the tabernacle, a Gothic monstrance carved in wood. Above is the theme of the Nativity and higher then Ascension. This culminates with a monumental Calvary. In the other bays are distributed the themes of the life and passion of Jesus.
The most important object that is kept in the chapel of the Treasure is the great monstrance of Enrique de Arfe (commissioned by Cardinal Cisneros) who worked on it between 1517 and 1524. It is of archaic Gothic design and of great architectural beauty. At the beginning it was made in silver but at the ending of the 16th century Archbishop Quiroga commissioned that it be plated in gold, to match the monstrance of the main altar, which is of gold plated wood.

Cardinal Cisneros wanted a monstrance of greater presence and importance than that of Isabella the Catholic to show it off in the procession of the Corpus Christi of Toledo, the most important that was celebrated in Castile. The monstrance took seven years to create and its cost surpassed 15 million maravedís, which Arce received, including the stipulated 2,700 reales, a bonus of 2,500 maravedís that the cathedral's chapter presented to him on Christmas of 1523, having been impressed by his work.

The monstrance has a hexagonal ground plan. It rises with small columns which are exquisitely made, with adornments of gems and varied figurines of angels, saints, fleurons, small bells and clappers. The work encloses in the last section where a cross of the 16th century is located. The pedestal on which it sits is Baroque of the 18th century.

In Toledo, it is by custom, since the year 1595, to carry out this monstrance in the procession of the Corpus Christi, on a float made for this purpose with an adjustable leveling which is mechanically activated. In the procession, ahead of the monstrance the political and ecclesiastical authorities and behind are the cadets of the Infantry Academy.

Curious facts: The monstrance is built with the help of 12,500 bolts which secure it, 5,600 diverse pieces and 260 figurines. 183 kg of silver and 18 of gold were used. Among the recorded inscriptions on it, can be read:

"Don Francisco Jiménez [Cardinal Cisneros], Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, Governor of Spain and conqueror of Africa, commissioned this monstrance of the Most Holy Body of Christ to be made, which was finished during the vacant see, being worker Diego López de Ayala. Year of the Lord 1524."




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