Beautiful Toledo. Home of the three cultures: Jews, Arabes, and Christians. Inspiration for the great painter El Greco. Home to Kings and Queens, Caliphs and Rabbis.
Toledo is one of our favorite cities. It still maintains the charm of a medieval city with its narrow streets, Jewish quarter, synagogues, and gothic churches. This year, like in previous years, we have planned our trip to correspond with the celebration of Corpus Christi. This celebration involves many celebrations and processions. The city is decorated with "toldos" or tents that cover the streets where, during the principle procession of the celebration, the faithful bring the "custodia" from the Cathedral.
During previous visits we have only had the chance to see the evening parade of the "gigantes" or "giants." Fortunately, we managed to land on the Thursday of Corpus Christi and able to see many of the celebrations and processions associated with this day.
First, on Wednesday before Corpus the local children gather at the entrance to the Cathedral where they place bouquets of flowers and sing hymns.
After placing the flowers the children are taken to the hills surrounding Toledo to gather fragrant herbs that they then scatter on the streets along the procession route. The effect is that as people and animals travel along the path they crush the herbs causing the air to become permeated with fragrant smells. For some, it is a very pleasant experience. But if you have allergies the experience isn't as pleasant!!!!
Homes and businesses along the procession route are decorated with flowers and banners.
During the Wednesday prior to Corpus there is a parade. It is headed up by the creature below that goes along the path squirting water at the crowd. It is known as the "Mulaguita."
What follows is a parade of "gigantes" representing every aspect of society from the monarchy to the peasant, including an array of historical figures.
On Thursday, June 4, the grand procession wound its way through Toledo. It began with the military moving through the streets to clear the path. Soon, large groups started to move through the streets, each one being a "cofradía" or guild. Each guild represents a group (e.g., professors) or traditional guild associated with the history of Toledo (e.g., descendants of Mozarabes).
The group of women above were particularly intriguing to me. They are volunteer nurses who go to Lourdes France to assist those who go there to bath in the healing waters located there.
Walking along the path were groups of men and women, the latter known as "manolas."
Also participating in the procession are all the children who received their First Communion during the previous year. The little girls dressed all in white and the little boys in military uniforms.
Just before the arrival of the "custodia," the priests and novice priests associated with the Cathedral appear...
Then, the "custodia" appears...
The procession concludes when the "custodia" returns to the Cathedral, greeted by applauses and singing from those gathered there. There were several hundred people inside the Cathedral with cameras flashing...
I guess that I should show you a little of the Cathedral. Here are some interior shots:
The photo above is looking toward the back of the Cathedral. The altar there is where the original Mozarabic altar sat and is the site of a pillar associated with a miracle.
Above is the "Transparente" of the Cathedral where natural light streams in and illuminates the altar (above) dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Above is the ceiling of the Sacristia. It holds some of the most significant paintings by El Greco. The most beautiful is one known as "El espolio." It was commissioned for the space where it resides. It reminds me of Minerva Tiechart's "Christ in the Red Robe."
In the choir is this "White Virgin." I include it here because of the Christ child's intimate and natural gesture of grabbing his mother's face so that she looks at him. I love some of these more intimate representations of the relationship between mother and child.
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