The History of the Toledo Cathedral
The historic city of Toledo, Spain, is over 2,000 years old. It played an influential role in politics and art when it was the capital of the Visigoth Empire from the 400s to the 700s and also during the Renaissance. The city's famous cathedral is a massive Gothic structure. Work began on Toledo Cathedral in the 13th century. It is considered the archetype of Spanish Gothic cathedrals.
Origins and Initial Layout
The formal name of the cathedral is the Primate Cathedral of Toledo or Catedral Primada. Construction began in 1227 under the reign of King Ferdinand the Saint on the site of a mosque. Archbishop D. Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada oversaw the primary construction. The design has French influences and the layout of the initial design is 390 feet long, 196 feet wide and includes five naves and 88 columns. The side aisles extend behind the cathedral’s main sanctuary, creating a semicircular hallway. The first architect was a man with the surname Martín.
Over the centuries, other master architects led the construction of additions to the cathedral. In the 14th century, the first additional chapel was added. Archbishop D. Pedro Tenorio directed the addition of San Blas Chapel and a cloister. Construction on the towering alter in the main chapel began in 1498 and took six years to complete. Famous sculptors worked on the five-story structure, creating biblical scenes and depicting saints set among gold filigree. During the 15th century, vaults were added for the aristocratic de Luna family. In the 17th century, a chapel was added to honor the patron saint of Toledo. The cathedral has a total of seven chapels.
El Greco and Art
The famous Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco played a major role in the evolution of the cathedral as a repository of fine art. Born in Greece, he arrived in Spain in 1576. He eventually settled in Toledo and became a friend of the dean of the Cathedral, Diego de Castilla. For years, Castilla was a major patron of El Greco and commissioned him to paint altarpieces and other works. Other well-known artists whose paintings and frescoes adorn the cathedral include Giovanni Bellini, Francisco Goya, Raphael, Titian and Van Dyck.
The cathedral holds regular services, and its opulence is on display for worshipers and tourists. The awe-inspiring, enormous gold-grilled gates and altar in the main chapel make the interior shimmer. The chapel’s works of art, elaborate frescoes, massive doors, detailed sculptures and intricate crucifixes give visitors the feeling of stepping back in time to hundreds of years ago and walking through centuries of history.
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