National Event of Madrid MADream OCTOBER 2016 Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 1 INDEX Toledo Madrid Segovia Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 2 Toledo City considered Heritage of Humanity since 1986, Toledo is known as “the city of three cultures” because it was occupied many centuries by Christians, Jewish and Muslims. It is the capital of Castilla-La Mancha and its name has a Latin origin which means “erected, at the top” due to its geographic location. Monastery San Juan de los Reyes It was designed by the architect Juan Guas as a request of the Catholic Kings for the Franciscan Order to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Toro (1476). It was declared Historic-Artistic Monument of national interest in 1926. Formed by a unique nave, it has open chapels with arches to allow the practice of simultaneous rites. The temple, completed in 1495, has an Elizabethan style, made with one nave with alcove chapels between the buttress and with chorus raised at the feet. The cloister, considered one of the Spanish jewels of the Gothic period, is the most antique of the two it had and it suffered many restorations. It has two floors and has a squared floor. The church communicates with the cloister by the south side through two doors situated in the transept and the nave. Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 3 Synagogue of El Tránsito The synagogue, also known as the synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi, is a building of the XIV century erected under the patronage of Samuel ha-Levi during the reign of Peter I. It was built between 1357 and 1363 with an Mudejar style, phenomenon exclusively Hispanic that takes place between the XII and XVI centuries as a mixture of the Christian and Muslim artistic movements of the period. Erected as the Church of Saint Benedict, the synagogue of El Tránsito is located in the Jewish district and in the XVII century becomes to be known as the “of El Tránsito” due to a picture that represents the Transit of the Virgin which decorated the altar since then. In 1877 the King, in accordance with the Fine Arts Royal Academy of Saint Ferdinand and on the motion of the General Direction of Public Instruction, declares the chapel of Transit as National Monument. In 1964 the Synagogue Samuel ha-Leví becomes the see of Sephardim museum which aim is the conservation of the Hispanic-Jewish and Sephardim culture legacy. The dimensions of this temple are 23 meters length, 9.5 width and 17 height. The building has a hall church, rectangular, as in many Christian buildings of the period. The elevation is divided in two floors; the first is the zone where the rite took place and in Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 4 the other you can see the position of the beams that held the place where women attended the liturgy hided from men. Cathedral of Santa María de Toledo It is considered the biggest construction of gothic style in Spain, this cathedral is popularly known as Dives Toletana, being part of the four cathedrals more important in Spain, consecrated in the XV century Sancta Ovetensis (Oviedo), pulchra Leonina ​ ​ (León), dives Toledana (Toledo), fortis Salmantina (Salamanca). ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Toledo is a city where different conflicts took place, changing its occupation in many occasions. When the Archbishop Ximénez de Rada arrived to the city the cathedral and its state achieve relevance. This man fought for the improvement of this building and for giving the city of Toledo the value it deserved with the presence of a cathedral. It was built in 1226 under the reign of Ferdinand II the Saint and when the last gothic contributions of the XV century arrived. Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 5 Structure Nowadays, it is formed by 5 naves, the cruise and a double ambulatory located at the top, with magnificent proportions and enriched with architectonic elements and with an original vault. The sections of the ambulatory related to the different chapels were solved with alternative rectangular and triangle floors, which made that every chapel had a different size; the rectangular were bigger and the triangular smaller. This way of distributing the head may be seen in the French cathedrals of Notre Dame in Paris, Bourges and Le Mans. Main doors The front of building has three façades, the Puerta del Perdón (Door of Absolution) in the centre, built in the XV century. Its name is due to the time when indulgences were conceded to anyone that enter through that door. The Puerta del Juicio Final (Door of the Final Judgment) at the right is the most antique and in it is represented the scene of the final judgement. The Puerta del Infierno (Hell’s door) at the left, is also known as the door of the Palmas because formerly it was reserved for the entry of the palm procession on Palm Sunday. In the north façade is the most antique of the doors, the door of the clock, placed there at the start of XIV century and called that way because of the clock that is on the top. Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 6 Finally, the Puerta de los Leones (Lions’ Door) whose name is due to the sculptures that crown the exterior fence. It is of the XV century. The tower The original idea consisted in raising two towers, one at each side of the west façade, but only one was totally built in 1422, while the other become in the Mozarab chapel. It is gothic with Mudejar influences and it has 92 meters height. Chapels The most important are the following: Main chapel: the biggest and whose purpose was to serve the church. Mozarabic chapel: built to conserve the Hispanic-Mozarabic rite. Chapel of New Monarchs: chapel without worship, formerly people worshiped the monarchs. The Transparent In the cathedral of Toledo it is call transparent to the work of the baroque sculptor Narciso Tomé and it was built between 1729 and 1732. Nowadays has many interest and respect nationally. Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 7 The idea of making this transparent breaking the wall came up to give light to the sanctuary. Its materials are marbles from Genoa, jasper and bronzes. Main Treasure of the Cathedral The Chapel of the Treasure is located in the old chapel of Saint John, occupying the site of the former tower chapel, called the Quo Vadis. It stands before the Mozárabe chapel, on the north side, directly below the cathedral tower. In reality, it was never a true chapel, instead it served as sacristy to the chapel of the New Monarchs before its transfer. The interior shows multiple display cabinets that hold the treasure of the Cathedral which consists of liturgical objects, reliquaries, Poles, clothes, books, etc. There are two good carvings, one of Juan Martínez Montañés and other Pedro Mena. In one of the showcases are kept two treasures of historic value: a pectoral cross, a gift from Papa Juan XXIII and a chalice, gift of Marshal Pétain (head of State of France from 1940 to 1944). Another of the more precious treasures is the Bible that San Luis King of France gave to this Cathedral in the century XIII, formed by three volumes written in latin and decorated exquisitely with miniatures elaborate on more than 5,000 breads of gold. It's a Bible moralisée, i.e., that relates the biblical scenes with the customs of the historical moment in which this work was done. Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 8 The Cloister The building of the Cloister was begun on 14 August 1389, and finished in 1425. It had ​ very different functions at various times: from storeroom to classroom, as a centre of mercantile transactions and one of its rooms was a Mozarabic chapel. Alcázar de Toledo Located in the highest part of the city, it is a fortification erected on rocks, and its location gives you a valuable strategic military, since it comes from the Arabic Al Qasar ​ which means fortress. The Palace Roman from its origin in the century third has served among other things as school of translators of Toledo, combining the three cultures (Christian, Jewish and Arabic) that the city hosted; as a temporary residence of the Spanish monarchy or as a point of resistance to the Civil Guard during the Spanish conflict. Currently its dependencies serve mostly as libraries and museums, among which we can highlight the weapons and uniforms contemporaries, as well as several walls where you can still see Civil War bullet marks. Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 9 Museum of Santa Cruz It was an important hospital in its origin, converted into a Museum in the XIX century.