Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-27
| TOLEDO'S CATHEDRAL
Regarded as the Greatest
Glory of Spain.
IDEAL OF GRANDEUR
TOOK CENTURIES TO BUILD AND
COST $50, 100000.
Belongs to the Best Period of the
Gothic School-Edifice in
Danger Of Collapse.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

IOLEDO, november II, Aoo''
The Cathedral of Toledo is the greatest
| glory of Spain, and one of the nobiest
monuments of tn, faith of the Roman
| Church. 1t is not so large as that Of Sc
Vile. nor so elaborate as that of Milan.
but stands unrivaled in several respects
and is an ideal of grandeur and majestic
repose And its associations give it ad-
diticnal interest and Importance. 1t is one
OF the oldest as we'll as one of the most
superb of human creations. 1t is associ-
ated not only with the earliest days of
Christianity in Spain, but with the highest
achievements of the Gothic empire. Cele-
brated councils have met beneath Its roof;
the great monarchs of Spain have been
crowned there: it's affairs have been en-
riched with spoils of victory from many of
the medieval battlefelds, and it has been
the burial place of the master minds of
four races in politics, war, letters, art and
ecclesiastical affairs. 1t is one of the larg-
est churches in the world, as well as one
of the most perfect examples OF arcmtec-
ture but unfortunately Is situated In low
place. and is so hemmed in by the height
of the surrounding buildings that 1t ap-
pears dwarfed. and free. complete view
OF it cannot be obtained from any direction
and it cannot be photographed
1t has been a place of worship for the
Goths, the Vandals, the Mohammedans and
the Christians.
An Object Of Much Veneration.
An image called the Virgin del Sagarrio
is greatly venerated by all Spain. 1t is
an effigy of wood, blackened by time. But
you cannot judge as to it's artistic merit
for it is entirely covered and concealed
under a mass of votive offerings Of jewels
and embroidered robes. The altar upon
which 1t sits can scarcely be seen. Its
wardrobe is of unparalleled richness, and
its collection of jewels would satisfy
queen. Her clothes are changed on every
feast day, so that she never wears the
same garments great while at time.
Her manteau for gala days is woven of
pure gold thread embroidered in exquisite
design with 7S,000 pearls. and there are
countless diamonds, rubes and emeralds
in the border and fringe. This is her finest
vestment, but she has many others of great
splendor and value, which have been pre-
scented by kings. queens, popes, cardinals,
archbishopS and princes, as well as by rich
private devoteeS.
Her crown which she always wears On
important occasions. dates from the six
teenth century, ard cost $4,000 even in
those days. 1t has since been enriched with
q Circlet of diamonds Two bracelets. made
by a celebrated goldsmith in the sixteenth
| century, cost $4,000 each, and she has
| necklaces, tiaras stomachers, brooches.
rings, chains and other ornaments enough
| to stock jewelry store.
Ex-Queen Isabella II presented her many
valuable gifts, and while she on the
throne she acted as mistress of the robes.
| for the image ranks a queen and has a
| retlnue of ladies-in-waiting and other at
tendants, whose names can be found In the
| annual of the Catholic Church in Spain.
| They take care of her wardrobe, dress her
| for festival occasions and attend her whan
| she is taken out in professions just as II
| this little wooden image was a real queen.
She also has considerable property, includ-
| ing several large estates, and the revenue
! collected from them il expended for the
| benefit of the charities under her patronage
| Whenever the image is taken from the
| cathedral 1t Is always attended by mill
| tsry guard and when soldier passes its
| chapel he salutes it as he would a Superior
| officer
This is perhaps the most remarkable of
| all the effigies of the Virgin In the posses
sion of the Catholic Church. and surpasscs
| all others In wealth and influence.
Saint Ildefonso was born in Toledo in
| 500, was educated here, served priest and
canon and finally became the Archbishop
| beautiful octagonal chapel and is the hero
of many legends, both secular and religious
| which l have no room to tell
A Work of Centuries.
The cathedral is 4O4 feet long and 2O4 fee
| vide and the architect who designed it 2nc
| fer nearly fifty years directed the construc
| ton was Pedro Perez DiaZ, who never
| built anything else of Importance anC
| whose genius was developed and expended
| upon this great work. His dust lies in "th'
| Chapel of the Doctors and the epitapi
| calls him 'Magister Ecclesiae." He wa!
born in 1911 and died in 1875. During tn,
800 years after his death more than 10
architects were employed upon the building
and for 266 years the work was uninter
rupted The decorations of the interic
have been designed and executed by tn
greatest artists and architects in the his
tory of Spain and Italy; the cost has ex
ceeded $50, 100000: the money has been fur
nished by all the bishops in Spain; an,
hence the entire nation feels sense o
proprietorship as well as pride In tn
temple
The site was occupied by at least three
and perhaps four, churches prior to ~
| erection.
OF the primitive church we know nothing
| except what is inscribed upon the corse
| Grafton stone which is preserved in tn,
cloister The second church was puilet
| down in 1032, and nothing remains of &
save miraculous well whose water cure.
| all diseases except superstition. and upo:
| which King Alfonso VT ordered book L
| be written. The third church was finished
| in 1855. 1t was used for many years by the
| Moors as mosque. but converted
| into Christian church again. and all evi.
dences of Moslem worship We're destroyed
For a century and a half it was the Cathe.
| dral of Spain. until the king, Alfonso TX
| and Archbishop Rodrigo de Roda in The
early part OF the thirteenth century order
| ed 1t to be pulled down and laid the first
| stone of the present structure. The ma
| ter1al used all came from the imme,iia t.
| neighborhood of Toledo, one of the quar-.
ries being only two miles distant
Best Period of Gothic School
| ! have no room to describe the cathe.
dral in detail, but 1t belongs to the
| best period of the Gothic school, which
| prevails both on the exterior and in the
interior, and it's lightness. richness of de-
tail, harmony and symmetry are unsur-
| passed. There are eighty-four columns and
$50 stained glass windows of extreme bril-.
| liancy and depth of color dating from the
| fifteenth century. The portals are noble
| expressions of twelfth century Gothic, will
infinite details, and the doors of iron grill
work that were never eXceled. The altar
the choir and the chapels are full of ind
viduality, being specimens of the differen
| variations of Gothic architecture which pre
vailed from the thirteenth to the eighteenth
century and a greater variety of such II
| Illustrations cannot be found anywhere. al
| though there is always a difference of taste
There are many brass and iron screens ant
doors of massive and bold design, and man,