Incredible Ceiling at the Cathedral of Toledo
I was quite surprised to know that the site where the Cathedral of Toledo now stands used to house a mosque. Even earlier than that were numerous reports that there was an even earlier church than that. The church was a least a the time of the Visigoths. When the Moors came and took over this part of Spain, the mosque was later erected in its place. When Spain managed to take back Toledo, the mosque was replaced with what is now the Cathedral of Toledo. Not all traces of the mosque was wiped away. In fact, some parts of the church even incorporate some of the features of Islamic design. It is interesting that Christian Churches would be incorporating these elements in the design of the cathedral but here they are.
Images of the Stations of the Cross and Heads of the Church at that Time
The basic layout of the Cathedral is said to mirror that of the original mosque. The bell tower used to be the minaret and the prayer halls of the now cathedral can be traced to parts of the church. Some rooms would have outright Islamic designs, with paintings now replaced with Christian images such as the stations of the cross or the images of the previous heads of the cathedral. It was interesting to see these portraits. I guess some parts of the mosque were just too beautiful to replace and were kept intact. Some part of some chapels would also in corporate these Islamic design elements. In fact, the Mudéjar design, which is Islamic in origin and which is uniquely Spanish as well, is incorporated in numerous parts of the church. If you pay attention you would see them.
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