Toledo Cathedral and Monstrance of Arfe, Toledo (must see)

Before the Primatial Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, another religious structure was on the same spot. Consecrated in the sixth century, in the time of the Visigothic Kingdom, the church was demolished after the Muslim invasion and replaced by a mosque.

Alfonso VI, King of Leon and Castile, reconquered the city in 1085. In 1087, the mosque was seized and converted into a Christian cathedral. Traces of the mosque remain. The minaret is turned into the bell tower. There is an Islamic column in the chapel of Saint Lucy. Caliphate arches appear in the main chapel.

The main facade fronts the Town Hall Square (Plaza del Ayuntamiento) and the Archbishop's Palace. To the left is the bell tower. On the right is the dome of the Mozarabic chapel. The lower part of the tower is squared. The upper part is octagonal and topped by a spire.

The facade has three portals. The Gate of Forgiveness is in the center. The Gate of the Last Judgement is right of the center. The Gate of Hell is on the left. The center portal has one great arch with six Gothic archivolts. In the tympanum, the Virgin offers a chasuble to Saint Ildephonsus. There are five other portals.

The cathedral has five naves with a transept and ambulatory. The vaults are ribbed. The Gothic retable is sumptuously florid. It rises high, covered with delicate scenes culminating in the Crucifixion. The Baroque altarpiece "El Transparente" by Narciso Tome creates the illusion of ascension to Heaven.

In the Chapel of the Treasure is the precious Monstrance of Arfe, created by the master ironworker Enrique de Arfe in 1524. The Monstrance is in the form of a Gothic temple. It has columns, arches, vaults, and 260 statuettes of angels and saints. Finished in silver, gold, and gilded Larchwood, it sits on a hexagonal base.

It has been the custom to grandly parade the Monstrance, in the procession of Corpus Christi, since 565. Some say its furnishings include gold taken from the New World by Columbus.