Toledo: Corpus Christi, Cathedrals, swords, bull fighting, El Greco, Visigoths and Knights Templar !!
We took a detour between races and decided to go to Toledo. Little did we know that the town was to be engrossed with a massive festival of Corpus Christi. Again, we seem to follow the festivals around Spain.
Toledo is a very old settlement on top of a hill that has been inhabited for millennia. There are Roman circus ruins and Medieval castles, renaissance art and, of course, some amazing cathedrals. The town is very much an “old town” with cobbled streets and windy lanes. There are lots of shops selling food, beer, wine swords, lots of swords! Toledo was the capital for sword making even to the point where the 16th century Japanese swords smiths went to Toledo for their steel and sword making technology. El Greco also lived here and there is a stunning display of his art work in the museum and cathedral.
Toledo is also famous for the fact that the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities lived together, not always harmoniously, but more so than most Medieval cities of Christendom. Today there is still a “Jewish Quarter” with lots of Jewish symbolism literally built into the roads and walls and a synagogue. The Visigoths kicked out the Romans and Toledo became an important centre for Catholicism both administratively and theologically. The Muslims ruled Spain from early 700 AD to early 1400 AD. So lots of the architecture in Toledo has the distinct mark of Muslim design then mixed with Western design on top! An interesting mix!
The festival of Corpus Christi was an amazing weekend with the city hanging out banners and flowers from nearly every window, and a cloth covering that passed through the lanes in which the procession was to take. An intricate gold monstrance: the great monstrance of Arfe is paraded through the streets with lots of flags and banners of different religious orders and people throwing petals down. It was quite a site!
People came from all over Spain for this festival, to see the flowered lanes and banners and enjoy the free musical events during the week. The Cathedral plays a big part in it all and people were constantly queuing to get in all day and night. Curiously, folk bring their chairs out a few nights before and literally chain them together along the side of the alley’s to bags their spot to watch the procession! The forecast was rain so lots of chairs had plastic poncho’s over them! The procession lasted 3 hours with the armed forces marching and bands playing in between the religious flags, priests, monks and nuns. The people are very patriotic and cheered and clapped the armed personnel as they passed. Everyone wore their Sunday best and the balconies were bursting with folk dressed up to watch and cheer. The streets themselves were strewn with branches of herbs which gave off an amazing aroma and mixed with the flower scent was a heady mix. The whole spectacle was very impressive.
These photo’s are only of the Festival of Corpus Christi (because there are so many of them!!)
