Page 290 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

288  THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

Exploring Toledo one of the best examples of
Mudéjar architecture in Toledo.
Easily reached from Madrid by train, bus, or car, Toledo is
best explored on foot. To visit all the main sights you need + Alcázar
at least two days, but it is possible to walk around the Cuesta de Carlos V. Tel 925-23 88
medieval and Jewish quarters in a long morning. To avoid 00. Open 11am–5pm Thu–Tue.
& (free Sun).
the heavy crowds, go midweek and stay for a night, when Charles V’s fortified palace
the city is at its most atmospheric. stands on the site of former
Roman, Visigothic, and Muslim
fortresses. In 1936, it was
almost completely destroyed
during a 70-day siege by the
Republicans. The restored
building houses the Museo
del Ejército (National Army
Museum) and a private library,
which holds a valuable
collection of books and
manuscripts dating back
Toledo cathedral, rising above the rooftops of the medieval quarter to the 11th century.
R Cathedral and Renaissance tapestries, E Museo Sefardi
Calle Cardenal Cisneros 1. Tel 925-22 paintings, and sculptures. Calle Samuel Leví. Tel 925-22 36
22 41. Choir, Treasury, Chapterhouse, There are also works by the 65. Open Tue–Sun. & (free Sat pm
and Sacristy Open Mon–Sat, Sun pm. Cretan artist El Greco, as well as & Sun).
& 8 7 examples of two typical Toledan The Sinagoga del Tránsito, a
The splendor of Toledo’s cathedral crafts: armor and damascened 14th-century former synagogue,
reflects its history as the spiritual swords, the latter made by is the setting for this museum
heart of the Spanish church and inlaying blackened steel with dedicated to the Sephardic
the seat of the Primate of all gold wire. The museum is (Spanish Jewish) culture. The
Spain. The present cathedral housed in a fine renovated synagogue preserves a
stands on the site of a 7th- Renaissance building and wonderfully elaborate Mudéjar
century church. Work began in has an elegant courtyard. interior hidden behind a
1226, but the last vaults were not humble façade.
completed until 1493. This long R Iglesia de Santo Tomé
period of construction explains Calle Santo Tomé s/n. Tel 925-25 60 E Casa-Museo de El Greco
the cathedral’s mixture of styles: 98. Open daily. & Paseo del Tránsito. Tel 925-99 09 80.
the exterior is pure French Gothic, Visitors come to this church Open Tue–Sun. & (free from 2pm
while inside, Spanish decorative mainly to admire El Greco’s Sat & all day Sun).
styles, such as Mudéjar – a masterpiece, The Burial of the It is uncertain whether El
hybrid Christian-Islamic style – Count of Orgaz. The church is Greco actually lived in or
and Plateresque, are used. thought to date back to the simply near to this house,
Among the cathedral’s most 12th century, and its tower is now a museum containing
outstanding features are the a collection of his works.
polychrome reredos of the high Canvases include the superb
altar (1504) and the choir. In series Christ and the Apostles.
the treasury is a 16th-century On the ground floor is a chapel
Gothic silver monstrance, over with a fine Mudéjar ceiling and
3 m (10 ft) high. The monstrance works of art by painters of the
is carried through the streets of Toledan School, such as Luis
Toledo during the Corpus Tristán, a student of El Greco.
Christi celebrations. Standing
out from the mainly Gothic P Puerta Antigua
interior, the Transparente is a de Bisagra
stunning Baroque altarpiece When Alfonso VI of Castile
of marble, jasper, and bronze, conquered Toledo in 1085,
sculpted by Narciso Tomé. he entered it through this
gateway – the only one in
E Museo de Santa Cruz the city to have kept its
Calle Cervantes 3. Tel 925-22 10 36. original 10th-century military
Open daily. Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25. architecture. The towers are
This museum of fine arts has The Assumption (1613) by El Greco, topped by a 12th-century
a superb collection of medieval in the Museo de Santa Cruz Arab gatehouse.
For hotels and restaurants see pp330–32 and pp333–5

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