Church of San Bartolomé (Toledo) facts for kids

Iglesia de San Bartolomé

Tower of the church

The Church of San Bartolomé is a very old building in Toledo, a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain. You can find it in the southern part of the walled city. It is located near the corner of San Bartolomé street and Cristo de la Para street. It's also just a short distance southwest of the famous Cathedral of Santa María.

History of the Church

This church is built in the Mudéjar style. This style combines Christian and Muslim art and building ideas. Over many centuries, the church has been rebuilt and changed several times.

Around the late 1400s, some big changes were made to the church's original design. Small chapels were added in the front part of the church. These chapels were used for burials.

In the 1800s, the church was renovated to be used by a convent of nuns. These nuns, called the Jerónimas de la Reina, lived in the palace next door. The Empress Eugénie de Montijo gave them this palace. The palace and the church were first separated by an alley. But in 1877, they were connected by a wall that you can still see today.

After more restoration work in 1957, the church became a house for priests. Today, it is a Major Seminary, which is a school for people studying to become priests. Even with all these changes, the main structure of the old palace has been kept. However, it was clearly modernized in the 1800s.

In 1998, the Spanish government declared the church a Property of Cultural Interest. This means it is a very important historical and cultural site.

What the Church Looks Like

The oldest part of the church dates back to 1145. However, the central apse (the rounded end of the church) seems to be from the 1200s. It looks very similar to other churches like Cristo de la Vega or San Vicente.

The Church Tower

The oldest part of the church is its tower. It is now part of the main church building. But it was originally built outside the church. Its old medieval design was discovered during a restoration in 1940.

The tower looks a lot like a Muslim minaret (a tower from a mosque). It is very similar to the tower of the Church of Santiago, Toledo. For example, both towers have:

• An inner structure with a central block.
• Layers of brickwork on the outside.
• A window with a double horseshoe arch and an alfiz (a frame around the arch). This window is exactly like the one at Santiago del Arrabal.

Some old Visigoth carvings were reused in the walls of this tower. You can also see some in the tower of the Church of San Salvador. Experts believe the tower was built in the early 1200s. However, some think it might be even older.

Church Design Changes

The church has been rebuilt many times, which has changed its original layout. The earliest record of the church is from 1145. But the central apse, which looks like those in Cristo de la Vega or San Vicente, was likely built around the end of the 1200s.

Like those other churches, San Bartolomé probably started with only one main nave (the central part of the church). We can tell this by looking at how thick the old outer walls of the apse are. These walls were later used to create small chapels in the late 1400s.

Later, the church was expanded from one nave to three naves. This created a challenge in connecting the new parts to the already built apse. This problem was solved by adding two square spaces. The outer walls of these new spaces look like the central apse. They have arches on the first floor, special arches on the second, and horseshoe arches on the top. Because they were built around the same time, the building style and arches are very similar. This makes them look like they are part of the same original work.

See also

In Spanish: Iglesia de San Bartolomé (Toledo) para niños