The Cristo de la Luz is one of the oldest and best preserved monuments of Islamic architecture in Toledo. Its origin dates back to 999, when it was built as a mosque, then known as Bab al-Mardum. Its location, next to one of the old gateways to the city, is no coincidence: this small oratory served as a place of prayer for travellers before entering the medina.

The exterior of the building has an almost square floor plan and is built in brick and masonry, with a rich decoration of caliphal tradition. You can see horseshoe arches, blind polylobed arches and a careful arrangement of templated bricks that draw a complex and harmonious geometry. These elements not only fulfil a structural function, but also a symbolic and ornamental one, representing the artistic refinement of Al-Andalus.

After the Christian conquest of Toledo in 1085, the mosque was converted into a Christian hermitage and dedicated to the Christ of Light, a name that alludes to a legend according to which, when Alfonso VI entered the city, the king's horse knelt in front of this place, where an image of Christ that had remained hidden and lit for centuries was discovered.

From the outside, the building is not only an exceptional testimony to Islamic architecture, but also a symbol of the religious and historical transformations that define Toledo's identity.