What to see in Municipality Toledo

Toledo Cathedral dates from the XIII-th century and is considered to be the magnum opus of the Gothic style in Spain. It was begun in 1226 during the reign of Ferdinand III and the last gothic contributions were made in the XV-th century when, in 1493, the vaults of the central nave were finished, during the times of the Catholic Monarchs. It was modeled after Bourges Cathedral although its five naves plan is the consequence of the constructors' intention to cover all of the sacred space of the former City Mosque with the cathedral, and of the former sahn with the cloister. It also combines some characteristics of the Mudejar style, mainly in the cloister, and with the presence of multifoiled arches in the triforium. The spectacular incorporation of light and the structural achievements of the ambulatory vaults are some of its more remarkable aspects.

The Cathedral is built with white stone from Olihuelas, close to Toledo. It is enormous, 120 metres long and 59 wide, with a high vaulted roof supported by 88 fluted columns.

One of its more outstanding parts is the Baroque altar called El Transparente, several stories high, with fantastic figures of stucco, painting, bronze castings, and multiple colors of marble, a masterpiece of Baroque mixed media by Narciso Tome enhanced by the daily effect for a few minutes of a shaft of sunlight striking it through an appropriately oriented hole in the roof, giving the impression that the whole altar is rising to heaven. The fully Baroque display makes a strong contrast with the predominant Gothic style of the cathedral. It is from the play of light that this feature of the cathedral derives its name. The cathedral also receives its light through more than 750 stained glass windows, from the XIV-th, XV-th and XVI-th centuries, the work of some of the best artists of those times.

Some of most important points of interest inside the cathedral: the choir, the stained glass, the cathedral museum and the altarpiece behind the main altar, the red cardinal`s hats hanging from the ceiling: they mark the spot where a Spanish cardinal is buried.