Church of San Román, Toledo facts for kids

Tower of the church

The Iglesia de San Román (say: Ee-GLEY-see-ah day San Ro-MAHN) is a very old church in Toledo, Spain. It was built a long time ago, in the 1200s. The church shows a special building style called Mudéjar. This style mixes Christian and Islamic art.

Before the church, there might have been an old Roman building here. Later, a Visigothic building stood on the same spot. Today, the Iglesia de San Román is a protected historical building. It is now home to a museum. This museum is called the "Museum of the Councils and Visigothic Culture." It teaches about the Visigoths and important meetings held in Toledo long ago.

History of the Church

The church stands on one of the highest hills in Toledo. People knew about this church as early as the 1100s. It was officially opened in 1221 by Archbishop Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada. A famous story says that Alfonso VIII was crowned king of Castile here. This happened on August 26, 1166.

Building Style and Art

The church has three main parts inside called naves. These parts are separated by special horseshoe arches. These arches are shaped like a horseshoe. They rest on strong pillars. Some parts of the church use old Visigothic and Roman columns. These columns have fancy tops called capitals.

During the 1200s, a new back part of the church was built. The strong tower was also added. This tower is a great example of Toledo's Mudéjar style. It has two top levels with double belfries. These belfries have windows in groups of two and three. The tower became a model for other towers in Toledo.

Inside, beautiful murals were painted on the walls. These paintings are called frescoes. They mix Romanesque pictures with Mudéjar designs. These frescoes are very special. They are thought to be the most southern ones in Spain. The paintings show different scenes. You can see the four winged evangelists. There are also pictures of archbishops and saints. These include Stephen and Lawrence. Some paintings show angels or the Final Judgment.

In the 1500s, an architect named Alonso de Covarrubias designed a new main chapel. It had a Plateresque dome with coffers (sunken panels). Later, the old wall paintings were covered up. They were forgotten for a long time. In the early 1900s, people found them again. Work began in the 1940s to carefully restore them.

• 

  Inside, the main chapel.

• 

  Inside, looking towards the entrance.

• 

  The Nave of the Epistle with paintings.

• 

  The area near the altar, called the presbytery.

See also

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