Toledo Cathedral



This is me inside the Toledo Cathedral! I was blown away with how vast it was and how ornate and decorated it was from head to toe. I thought this section was especially Baroque because of the over the top amount of sculpture work, golden gilding, and dramatic movement. I especially love the “sun burst” that is entwined with angles. This leads our eye directly downward to the Madonna and the child. Marry stares reverently down at the Christ child and the overall atmosphere created by this huge wall is awe inspiring. This structure is a proper cathedral and housed the archbishop and also a cardinal, so according to the catholic tradition, it is supposed to be wildly austere. It gives the idea of “the heavenly” and tries to point out thoughts and feelings to Christ by placing him everywhere. It also shows the importance of Mary as well, which is especially important to this cathedral.


This cathedral is important because it not only was the place for Catholics to worship, but also like I previously mentioned, it housed the archbishop. Additionally it is connected to the story of how the feast of the Enunciation got moved to 9 days before Christmas. This is significant because it allows Mary to be more fully venerated in the Catholic faith. It is said that after the saint Ildefonso, who was in charge, changed the date for the celebration, Mary herself came down and appeared to him and gave him a special robe. They have kept the stone that she stood on and I got to touch it!


This contributes to this city as a cultural capital because it had an impact on Catholicism as a whole and helped Mary to be more recognized, and because they have a relic housed there, it can bring in not only devotees but those who are curious about the history and religion. It is also stunningly beautiful and houses artwork by Caravaggio, El Greco, and Goya. This can be a sense of pride for the community and adds to the ancient atmosphere of the community. Beauty, uniqueness, and religion can all be driving factors that bring in people to a city. That is why I believe this cathedral contributes. 

Comments

  1. Hannah BryanMay 19, 2024 at 3:02 PM

    Okay, this is a great blog post, Anna!

    You say that the cathedral in Toledo impacts the city's cultural capital because it changes Catholicism and emphasizes Marianism in worship. It serves as a center for people who study relics in history and religious progress. The cathedral itself brings people together and can be a source of local pride.

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  2. Sam RichardsonMay 19, 2024 at 10:14 PM

    So good Anna!! I love how you clearly laid out the main driving factors that make a city a cultural capital: beauty, uniqueness, and religion. The Toledo Cathedral has all three of these things dialed down! This observation and the fact that the cathedral had an impact on Catholicism are great ideas you can use to answer the "cultural capital" question on the final.

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  3. EleaseMay 19, 2024 at 11:27 PM

    I love this post! I love that you mention how Toledo is a cultural capital and this Cathedral is such an integral part of that. I agree that the archbishop as well as a religious service is so important in making this a cultural capital.

    ReplyDelete

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