History of the temple

The Primate Cathedral of Toledo, dedicated to Santa María, is located in the heart of the city, in a sacred place since the Visigothic era. First it was a Christian church, then the main mosque in Muslim times and, finally, in the thirteenth century, Archbishop Jiménez de Rada ordered its construction under the reign of Ferdinand III. The first stone was laid in 1226, and in 1493 the central naves were covered after 267 years of work. Over the centuries, the Cathedral has undergone multiple modifications, bringing together a valuable artistic heritage.

Wonders of the Cathedral

Considered the Catholic temple with the most works of art in Spain, its exterior stands out for its six doors with iconography from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century, its large tower with the "fat bell", one of the largest in the world, and the dome designed by Jorge Manuel Theotocopuli, son of El Greco. Inside there are treasures such as the Mozarabic Chapel, the last Gothic altarpiece in Spain, the monstrance of Enrique de Arfe that appears in the Corpus Christi procession, the Chapter House with portraits of archbishops, the Baroque work "El Transparente" and the Sacristy, where canvases by Caravaggio, Velázquez, Titian and El Greco are exhibited. including his masterpiece The Plundering.

Legend of San Ildefonso San Ildefonso

, archbishop of Toledo between 657 and 667, is the patron saint of the city. Legend has it that, on December 18, 665, while he was praying in the main church, a blinding light appeared and his companions fled. Ildefonso, motionless, saw the Virgin on a throne, who gave him a chasuble as a symbol of gratitude for his devotion. Although the temple was later a mosque, the pillar where the apparition occurred is preserved in the Cathedral as one of its most important relics.