The Toledo Cathedral

Holy Toledo!

The Toledo Cathedral
The Toledo Cathedral

From New York, Tanya and I flew to Spain, rented a car, and drove to Toledo to start our Spanish vacation. The next morning, our son Brooks flew in to meet us.

Toledo is the former capital of Spain. The city teems with Christian, Jewish, Moorish, Visigothic, and Roman history. The cathedral was amazing. Construction of the cathedral started in the year 1226 and was completed a mere 250 years later. My photos don’t due it justice. The place is huge. I could have spent all day in there taking photos. We also visited the Santa Cruz Museum, home to more than a dozen El Greco paintings (El Greco lived in Toledo in the late 1500s and early 1600s); the Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca, a synagogue built by Moorish workmen in 1200 (later converted to a church in 1492 after the Jews were forced to convert to Christianity); the San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio, a Franciscan monastery built in the Gothic style circa 1500; and Santa Tome, a wonderful little church that is home to one of El Greco’s most famous paintings, the The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (unfortunately, no photography allowed).

We stayed in an apartment a few meters from the Toledo cathedral.  Driving to the apartment was an adventure in itself. Most the roads are only wide enough for a single car. At some corners, the edges of buildings are carved out to allow room for side mirrors. The apartment was inside a building constructed in the 15th century. Unfortunately, our internet connection was not working, so I’m posting this from Sevilla.

Enjoy these photos from Toledo and I’ll post some from Sevilla in the next few days.

Toledo's High Altar
The High Altar in the Toledo Cathedral (hand-held, no tripods allowed).
In the Cloister
A scene from the cathedral’s cloisters.
Toledo Street Scene
A street scene from Toledo
Protest
There was a general strike in Spain while we were in Toledo. Here are protesters in the Plaza de Zocodover. Across the street, there were probably 50 police keeping watch.
Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca
Moorish style arches in the Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca
San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio
The altar in San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio
El Expolio
The painting “El Expolio” by El Greco, in the Santa Cruz Museum

Comments

2 responses to “Holy Toledo!”

  1. bbrunophotography Avatar

    Amazing images, Joe. Reminds me of some of the cathedrals we visited in Germany. You’ve captured some beauties there.

    1. joebecker Avatar

      Thanks Bonnie; not being able to use a tripod didn’t help, but I think I did capture a few good ones.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *