Everything about Toledo Spain totally explained
Toledo (
Latin:
Toletum; In
Arabic:
طليطلة Ṭulayṭela) is a
city and
municipality located in central
Spain, 70
km south of
Madrid. It is the
capital of the
province of
Toledo and of the
autonomous community of
Castile-La Mancha. It was declared a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the
Spanish Empire and place of coexistence of
Christian,
Jewish and
Moorish cultures. Many famous people and artists were born or lived in Toledo, including
Garcilaso de la Vega,
Alfonso X and
El Greco, and it was the place of important historic events such as the
Visigothic Councils of Toledo.
As of 2005, the city has a population of 75,578 and an area of 232.1 km² (89.59 square miles).
Toledo later served as the capital city of
Visigothic Spain, beginning with
Liuvigild (Leovigild), and was the capital until the
Moors conquered Iberia in the 8th century. Under the
Caliphate of Cordoba, Toledo enjoyed a golden age. This extensive period is known as
La Convivencia, for example the co-existence of
Jews,
Christians, and
Muslims. Under Arab rule, Toledo was called
Tulaytulah (
Arabic طليطلة, academically
transliterated Ṭulayṭulah).
On
May 25,
1085 Alfonso VI of Castile took Toledo and established direct personal control over the Moorish city from which he'd been exacting tribute, and ending the mediaeval
Taifa's
Kingdom of Toledo . This was the first concrete step taken by the combined kingdom of Leon-Castile in the
Reconquista by Christian forces.
Toledo was famed for its production of
iron and especially of
swords and the city is still a center for the manufacture of knives and other steel implements.
When
Philip II moved the royal court from Toledo to
Madrid in 1561, the old city went into a slow decline from which it never recovered.
Toledo's
Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a
military academy. At the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously
besieged by
Republican forces.
Arts and culture
Toledo reached its zenith in the era of
Islamic Caliphate. Historian
P. de Gayangos writes:
The Muslim scientists of this age were unrivaled in the world. Perhaps among their greatest feats were the famous waterlocks of Toledo.
The old city is located on a mountaintop, surrounded on three sides by a bend in the
Tagus River, and contains many historical sites, including the
Alcázar, the cathedral (the
primate church of Spain), and the Zocodover, a central market place.
From the 4th century to the 16th century about thirty
synods were held at Toledo. The earliest, directed against
Priscillian, assembled in 400. At the synod of 589 the Visigothic King
Reccared declared his conversion from
Arianism; the synod of 633 decreed uniformity of liturgy throughout the Visigothic kingdom and took stringent measures against baptized Jews who had relapsed into their former faith. The council of 681 assured to the archbishop of Toledo the
primacy of Spain.
As nearly one hundred early canons of Toledo found a place in the
Decretum Gratiani, they exerted an important influence on the development of ecclesiastical law. The synod of 1565–1566 concerned itself with the execution of the decrees of the
Council of Trent; and the last council held at Toledo, 1582–1583, was guided in detail by
Philip II.
Toledo was famed for religious tolerance and had large communities of Muslims and Jews until they were expelled from Spain in 1492 (Jews) and 1502 (Muslims). Today's city contains the religious monuments the
Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, the
Synagogue of El Transito, and the
Mosque of Cristo de la Luz dating from before the expulsion, still maintained in good condition.
In the 13th century, Toledo was a major cultural center under the guidance of
Alfonso X, called "El Sabio" ("the Wise") for his love of learning. The
program of translations, begun under Archbishop
Raymond of Toledo, continued to bring vast stores of knowledge to Europe by rendering great academic and philosophical works in Arabic into Latin.
The
Cathedral of Toledo (
Catedral de Toledo) was built between 1226-1493 and modeled after the
Bourges Cathedral, though it also combines some characteristics of the
Mudéjar style. It is remarkable for its incorporation of light and features the
Baroque altar called
El Transparente, several stories high, with fantastic figures of stucco, paintings, bronze castings, and multiple colors of marble, a masterpiece of
medieval mixed media by
Narciso Tomé topped by the daily effect for just a few minutes of a shaft of light from which this feature of the cathedral derives its name. Two notable bridges secured access to Toledo across the Tajo, the
Puente de Alcántara and the later built
Puente de San Martín.
Toledo was home to
El Greco for the latter part of his life, and is the subject of some of his most famous paintings, including
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, exhibited in the Church of Santo Tomé.
Additionally, the city was renowned throughout the Middle Ages and into the present day as an important center for the production of
swords and other bladed instruments.
Gallery
Image:Tagus River Panorama - Toledo, Spain - Dec 2006.jpg|The Tagus River flows through Toledo city
Image:Toledo bridge.JPG|The bridge of San Martín over the Tagus River
Image:Toledo-Espania-August-2006.JPG|A view across the river of the old wall of Toledo- August 2006
Image:Tagus-Toledo.JPG|Old Toledo from across the Tagus River, April 2007
Demography
- Konya,
- Aachen,
- Nara, Nara,
- Havana,
- Jerusalem,
- Toledo, Ohio,
- Veliko Tarnovo,
- Poznań,
Further Information
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