Holy Toledo!

Our excursion on this hot June Sunday gave new meaning to the exclamation, “Holy Toledo!” While much of our activity today centered around the culture and politics of the medieval capital of Spain, some of the most impressive sites we saw were in the cathedral. Although it is not the largest church in Spain, it is the oldest and most important. The Romans settled this place, building a fort on the site of the present Alcazar. We began by touring a Jewish synagogue built by Muslim workers before the expulsion of both groups in the year 1492. From the eighth century to the 15th century thriving Jewish, Muslim and Catholic communities coexisted here in peace. When medieval Europe was suffering through the so-called dark ages and few communities could even throw a pot, arts, crafts, medicine and government thrived here. Damask cloth, Damascene swords and filigree metalwork were brought here by the Arabs, and those crafted products are still produced here.

The cathedral itself was most impressive. One of the most interesting pieces we saw was a monstrance made in the 15th century. All of the 100,000 little bits of gold filigree making up this ceremonial artwork sparkled around hundred of precious stones. This ornate stand to display the consecrated host sits in a display case most of the year. However, on the annual feast of Corpus Christi, which took place just a few weeks ago, the monstrance is removed, placed on a high-tech, self balancing table, mounted on a cart and paraded through the hilly streets of Toledo.

This town was immortalized in the famous painting by El Greco, and it has figured prominently in many of the wars of Spanish succession, as well as the most recent revolution that took place in 1936. Although King Charles III moved the capital from here to Madrid in the 16th century, Toledo was the capital throughout the Middle Ages and is still the spiritual and cultural heart of Spain. To Spaniards the town actually has attained a kind of religio-civic holiness. “Holy Toledo” is not merely an exclamation; it distills the character of this place.Read more