Smiling Virgin Mary at the Cathedral of Toledo
It was probably my first exposure to such a design of a Cathedral where the altar area was fenced off from the rest of the church. Although you can see the altar through the fence, it is still rather bizarre compared to the layouts we are used to now. Directly opposite the altar is another fenced off area, although the gates are opened this time. This was the choir area. There were seats around the rectangular area of the choir with and empty space in the middle, which I assume was for the choir master.
Choir Area of the Cathedral of Toledo
There are several rows of benches between the choir and the altar, I suppose this is where the congregation sits. Which I think was an incredibly small area compared to the rest of the church. It would probably be nice to be in a service where the choir was also part of the service. With a choir area like that, they better produce very good music. In front of the choir is a statue of a smiling Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus which seems to be a famous statue. After all, how many images of religious figures have you seen smiling or laughing.
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