The Primal Cathedral of Santa María is in the heart of the city of Toledo. Its location is privileged in front of the city hall and next to the archiepiscopal palace. The Cathedral of Toledo is considered the Opera Prima of the Gothic in Spain
The construction of the temple is due to the efforts of Archbishop Jiménez de Rada and his personal efforts to achieve a monumental cathedral worthy of the metropolitan seat that was Toledo. This was erected About the place where a Visigothic period was located in which the Visigoths renounced Arianism and converted to Catholicism. Furthermore, this place had been the exact point where the Virgin Mary descended. from heaven to present himself to San Ildefonso.
Under the reign of Ferdinand III, the the construction of the Cathedral on the space that had also been occupied by the Aljama mosque of Toledo, converted to Christian worship in 1087 after the Christian reconquest. The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1226, and its construction was slow and laborious. It was not until the year 1493, after 267 years of work, when the central naves were covered and closed. However, during the mandate of Cardinal Cisneros, great changes were taking place within it. To him we owe a large part of the treasures that the cathedral possesses today: the Mozarabic Chapel, the Custody of Enrique de Arfe, the main altarpiece and the chapter house.
Toledo Cathedral is an opportunity to admire unique works of Spanish art from the Gothic period to the impressive Transparente, a clear reference of the Baroque style . Among the jewels of the cathedral museum you can admire paintings by El Greco, such as the Expolio, paintings by Caravaggio, Titian and the impressive vault of the sacristy decorated with magnificent frescoes by Luca Giordano.
From Monday to Saturdays: : 10:00 - 18:30 hrs
Sundays and days of obligation: 2:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Access closes 30 minutes before schedule