Page 396 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

394  CENTR AL SP AIN

Toledo Cathedral rising above the rooftops of the medieval part of the city
Exploring Toledo E Museo de Santa Cruz Immaculate Conception (1613),
Toledo is easily reached from Calle Miguel de Cervantes 3. Tel 925 still in its original altarpiece.
Madrid by rail, bus or car, and 22 14 02. Open 10am–6:30pm Mon– Decorative arts on display
is then best explored on foot. Sat, 10am–2pm Sun. ∑ patrimonio include two typically Toledan
To visit all the main sights you historicoclm.es crafts: armour and damascened
need at least two days, but it This museum is housed in a swords, made by inlaying
is possible to walk around the 16th-century hospital founded blackened steel with gold wire.
medieval and Jewish quarters by Cardinal Mendoza. The Damascene work, such as plates
in a long morning. To avoid the building has some Renaissance and jewellery (as well as swords),
heavy crowds, go midweek and architectural features, including is still produced in the city.
stay for a night, when the city the main doorway, staircase and
is at its most atmospheric. cloister. The four main wings, R Iglesia de Santo Tomé
laid out in the shape of a Greek Plaza del Conde 4. Tel 925 25 60 98.
+ Alcázar cross, are dedicated to the fine Open daily. & ∑ santotome.org
Calle Unión s/n. Tel 925 23 88 00. arts. The collection is especially Visitors come here mainly for El
Open Thu–Tue. & (free Sun). 8 strong in medieval and Renais- Greco’s master piece, The Burial of
Charles V’s fortified palace sance tapestries, paintings and the Count of Orgaz (see p36). The
stands on the site of former sculptures. There are also works Count paid for much of the 14th-
Roman, Visigothic and Muslim by El Greco, including one of his century building that stands
fortresses. Its severe square last paintings, The Virgin of the today. The painting, commis-
profile suffered damage by sioned in his memory by a parish
fire three times before being priest, depicts the miraculous
al most completely destroyed appearance of St Augustine and
in 1936, when the Nationalists St Stephen at his burial, to raise
survived a 70-day siege by the his body to heaven. It has never
Republicans. Restoration fol- been moved from the setting
lowed the original plans and for which it was painted, nor
the siege headquarters have restored. Nevertheless, it is
been preserved as a monu- remarkable for its contrast of
ment to Nationalist heroism. glowing and sombre colours.
The former National Museo In the foreground, allegedly, are
del Ejército was transferred the artist and his son (both look-
from Madrid to this building, ing out), as well as Cervantes.
making the Alcázar the main The church is thought to date
army museum in Spain. back to the 11th century, and
The Borbón-Lorenzana its tower is a fine example of
Library (open to the public) Mudéjar architecture.
contains 100,000 books and Nearby is the Pastelería
manuscripts from the 16th The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception by Santo Tomé, a good place to
to 19th centuries. El Greco (1613) in the Museo de Santa Cruz buy locally made marzipan.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp570–71 and pp595–7

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