HOLY TOLEDO

Sorrrry friends, I couldn't resist. This weekend gave a whole new meaning to the phrase that we so often say without even knowing where it came from. BYU Professor John Rosenburg graced us with his presence this weekend and taught us a whole lot about Spanish history, architecture, art, and just LIFE. We met John in Toledo on Saturday and toured around for nearly 10 hours without tiring at all (I can't say the same for him, he was the one actually speaking the whole time). We just couldn't get enough of his wisdom, so we met him at the Prado on Monday to pick his brain even more! We are pretty sure he's the smartest guy in the world. If there's a question about Spain that he can't answer, can't NOBODY answer it. He's just that brilliant.

Toledo is a beautiful city located about 45 minutes south of Madrid. Surrounded by the Tagus river (the same one that runs through Lisbon), its location has been desirable since the time of the Romans. It's here that, more than any other place in Spain, the Moorish, Catholic and Jewish cultures convene, which is what makes it fascinating and so very HOLY. We decided we didn't want to stay just one day there, so we got an AirBnB the night before our tour so that we could see the city at night time, and it certainly didn't disappoint!

We ate some very interesting Syrian food and explored the city at sunset. We loved the view from across this bridge, which has been standing for over a millennium (something that is becoming so common for me to find out that I barely even bat an eye anymore). Such a neat place!

The next day, John took us to so many different sites in the city: the first mosque, beautiful churches with ancient art, a church that Isabella and Ferdinand commissioned during the Inquisition, and soo many others. My favorite part of the tour, though, was the CATHEDRAL. I thought I was tired of seeing cathedrals since there are just so darn many of them, but this one quickly became my favorite one yet, partially because it was just so beautiful and HUGE, and partly because John told us all about the symbolism of the architecture.

Unfortunately, most of the outside was completely covered in scaffolding (sound familiar? Looking at you, Big Ben). But this part of one of the entrances was super cool. If you start reading from the bottom left corner, you can see the pictures are arranged in the order of the life of Christ, ending with the Passion Week on top. This is something I would have glanced at and thought, "Wow, that's some crazy cool detail," and then I would have just walked inside, but John really helped us understand the deep symbolism found all over the city. Amazing.

The choir seats block the view from the nave to the apse, but HOW BREATHTAKING IS THIS? The whole cathedral was designed to help you remember heaven and just look UP, and the incredible height of the interior does just that.

THE STAINED GLASS. I loved the windows and the principles they teach. As beautiful as they are, you cannot truly appreciate their beauty without the sun, shining into the INSIDE of the church. The only true way to receive Christ and show your devotion to him is by coming and worshiping in His house.

The apse is sort of difficult to see through the gate, but details of the gold and brick are just so exquisite.

And this is what Dr. Rosenburg dubbed the "crowning jewel" of the whole cathedral. This statue of Mary holding the Christ Child captures such a tender moment in time, and the mutual love between the two is brilliantly obvious in the way the artist portrays them.

We learned just so much about the history of the Catholic church, and that by expelling all non-Christians they really, truly believed that they were doing the work of God. I'm grateful to live in a world that is (comparatively) so much more accepting of different cultures and beliefs, and also glad that some real artistic beauty came from the cruelty of the Inquisition.

Speaking of the Inquisition, the Jewish synagogue was one of our last stops of the day. As my grandpa informed me recently, I actually have ancestors who were living in northeastern Spain who were expelled during the Inquisition. Who knew?? So, rumor has it that if I can prove my lineage, I can get Spanish citizenship. Would that not be the coolest thing ever???? I was fascinated learning about "my people" in this beautiful synagogue.

The architecture has obviously been Moorish- and Catholic-ized, in fact, there's only one star of David to be found in the whole building. The sad history of the Jewish people in this land makes my heart ache.

The streets are just really beautiful. And SUPER narrow. The place is FILLED with shops selling knives, swords, and all sorts of crazy medieval armor. Definitely a Lord of the Rings-fan sort of place.

This will certainly not be the last time we visit the city. We are so grateful to BYU for sending us such amazing faculty members with decades of knowledge in their brains readily available to help us learn. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I can't wait to share with my children someday!