Toledo Cathedral
The Cathedral of Toledo, Spanish Catedral de Santa María de la Asunción de Toledo, is the the archbishopric of Toledo in Toledo, Spain Cathedral. It is a masterpiece of Spanish Gothic.
History
The church was founded in 1226. Ferdinand III. the Holy laid the first stone in 1227, after he had the old Visigoth church be demolished. This had previously been converted from the Moors to a mosque and they wanted to remove this influence radically. About the builder of the first generation, the science is not quite sure. A document from 1227 mentions an architect named " Champion Martin ", which is said to have led to the construction in 1234. The choir house was finished in 1238. Then came a supposedly "Master Peter of Peter", the 1291 died. In Spanish sources, he is also called " Pedro Perez ". It is therefore presumed that these masters could be identical with the "Pierre de Corbie ", with whom the French architectural historian Villard de Honnecourt the choir in his famous sketchbook designed ( Swaan, p 267 ).
Exterior
The characteristic western facade was begun in 1418 and completed in the early 16th century. It is flanked by two towers very different appearance. The 90 -meter-high north tower of gray granite was started in 1400. The built at that time basement is now home to the treasury. The upper floors built 1425-1440 Alvar Martínez. He continued the strict aesthetics of the base discontinued, but loosened on the upper floors with blind arcades, with cornices and a frieze of black and white marble with inlaid blue and white azulejos ceramic. Back to top of the tower was completed in 1448 by hanquin de Egas ( Annequin de Eycken ), an architect from Brussels. About the final cornice of the quadratic part follows a umstandenes of branches octagon and a tip which bears a staggered in height triple crown of thorns, which has the tower introduced special celebrity.
The dome of the significantly lower southern tower designed in the 17th century, Jorge Manuel Theotocopuli, the son of El Greco.
The entire upper level of the facade was renovated first in the second half of the 16th century and then again in the late 18th century by the architect Durango.
The three-piece portal system has as a theme in the left called "Portal of the tower, " "hell ," in the middle of the " forgiveness " (around 1418 by Alvar Martínez ) and on the right the " Last Judgment " ( 1492-93 ).
Master hanquin de Egas created "Los Puerta de Leones " and the large portal at the south transept, the so-called lion portal. The tympanum has unfortunately changed dramatically later in the 18th century, but in the garb are still sculptures by Juan Alemán from the years 1465 to look after. Owes its name to the portal system the lion on the six pillars on which the grid is fixed.
Interior
Following the example of the French Gothic Cathedral of Bourges Cathedral of Toledo is fünfschiffig without pronounced horizontal house with double ambulatory, but has in the east and northeast of the choir is a vast, complicated system and chapel north of the nave a large cloister.
This church is not a uniform structure, generations have worked on it. What is striking is that - even by Spanish standards - great emphasis on the width, in contrast to the French model, although the nave reaches a height of 40 meters. The aisles are together wider than the nave. The cross section shows a well-proportioned vertical separation from the outer aisle on the inner towards the nave. Taking the narrow band transitions of the outer sides just adds the church acts like siebenschiffig.
The high window of the nave are contracted with the Triforiumszone to a " light unit ". In contrast to the model of Bourges, the inner aisle has no own Triforiumzone, but relatively large windows.
Main altar
The huge main altar was carved by Petitjean, Copin of Holland, Felipe Bigarny and Sebastian de Almonacid, gilded and painted by Francisco de Antwerp and Jean of Burgundy. It was completed the work in 1504, the year of Queen Isabella, as it is said in an inscription on a base bar.
Theme of the hugely spread images wall, occupying the whole width and height of the choir the nave, is the life and passion of Christ. The raised central passage is accompanied by three curved in the height down staggered side strips significantly forward, which merge seamlessly into the decoration of the choir side walls. The visitor is here in a comprehensive the entire space imagery. Two socket strips form the base of the altar, of which the bottom only has a simple geometric decoration, the upper but already for each section an extensive scenic representation under a Gothic canopy structure. Reset Above this is easily the actual altar scene. Each three stories are arranged in the five internal passages about each other, also under canopies. In the central median strip are shown the scenes of the Nativity, the Assumption of Mary and - directly under the arch - the crucifixion.
Organs
In the cathedral are two organs. They were facing each other, each built on the south and north side of the choir. Both instruments date from the second half of the 18th century. The manual divisions of both instruments are divided in c1/cis1.
The Epistelorgel on the south side was built in 1755-1758 by the organ builder Pedro de Liborno Echevarría. Front and back were designed by German López. In the 19th century, the instrument was modified several times.
The instrument has 32 registers on three manuals (51 notes ) and Pedal, and but has no coupling.
- In addition to register: Tambor, Pájaros
The Gospels organ on the north side of the chancel was built in 1797 by the brothers José Valentín Verdalonga. The instrument has 73 registers on three manuals and pedal.
- Accessories: Two manual couplers as toggle
Bells
The bell ensemble of the Cathedral located at two levels: 8 bells hanging visible in the niches of the bell tower, and in the middle of the Gorda - bell. In the above the belfry level contains the rest of bells.