Bricks and Stones: Architecture in Toledo

Today was the first day of "class" (we didn't actually have class).  Today's activity was a field trip to the city of Toledo (not the one in Ohio) to look at some of the historic architecture, so I have quite a few excellent pictures of some of the famous buildings.  But first, a picture of the city:

Definitely not Ohio.

This panoramic view was our first stop before entering the city.  It's kind of hard to see individual buildings, but the large spire just left of center belongs to the main cathedral of Toledo (which we visited) and the fortress-looking thing on the right is, well, a fortress called the "Alcazar" (which we did not visit).  Here it is a little closer up:

This is the place we didn't visit.

Below is a picture of one of the gates in the city wall.  This one is one of the older gates and it is one of the oldest examples of a uniquely Spanish style of architecture called mudéjar.  

A very old gate, indeed.

Mudéjar is a mixture of Spanish-style buildings with a distinctly Arabian flair.  When the Spanish Catholics came back into power, they decided to build new walls, gates, churches, etc. but the moors did most of the construction work.  So you'd get buildings that were part stone (very European) and part brick (since they don't have lots of huge stones lying around in the Arabian desert).  Or, like in the picture above, a gate with a combination of square European corners and rounded Arabian arches.  You also get buildings with strange-sounding titles like "The Mosque of Christ the Light," or "The Synagogue of Saint Mary the White," which were re-christened, if you will, after the city changed hands for the last time.  Speaking of which, here's a picture I took inside the synagogue:

If by "synagogue," you mean "Catholic church converted into a museum..."

And while we're on the subject of Spanish Catholic churches, let's re-visit that cathedral I mentioned earlier.

I took the first one from street level during the morning, when it was cloudy.  The second one was taken from the top tower of yet another cathedral in the afternoon, when it was sunny.  But how about we take a quick peek inside?

I'm afraid the picture doesn't quite do it justice...

The other two churches we visited were a Jesuit church (the name escapes me) and the church of San Juan de la Rey.  The Jesuit church had two large towers that we climbed, which is where I got my aerial view of the main Cathedral.  It's also where I got these two pictures:

I think my favorite place, however, was San Juan de la Rey.  Here's an interior garden, another example of Arabian influence on the mudéjar architecture.

Surprisingly green, given the time of year.

And a tower that overlooks the garden:

"All along the watchtower..."

The interesting thing about San Juan is that it was built shortly after the marriage between Ferdinand and Isabella, which united all of Spain into the country that we know today.  There's lots of neat symbolism hidden throughout the building, like the picture below, which is from a carving on one of the ceilings:

I guess it's kind of an inside joke...

In case you can't see it very clearly, the pictures in the middle alternate between a fasces (a lot of small sticks) and a yoke (one large stick).  The fasces were a symbol of authority in the Roman empire which signify the strength of being united (see: Ecclesiastes 4:12).  The yoke symbolizes two people striving toward a common goal (see: 2 Corinthians 6:14).  These images are surrounded by alternating letters: "F" and "Y".  Bet you'll never guess whose names (in Old Spanish) begin with "F" and "Y."  Also, anyone want to take a stab at what letters the Spanish words for "fasces" and "yoke" begin with?  (Hint: they're the same as they are in English.)  Nifty, huh?

Anyway, enough of me geeking out over the minutiae of medieval architecture.  The last picture here is the bridge by which we left the city after a long day of trekking up and down some very steep, narrow, winding roads.

Like a bridge over relatively untroubled waters.