Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo facts for kids
The Iglesia de Santo Tomé is a famous church found in the old part of Toledo, a historic city in Spain. This church was built after King Alfonso VI took back Toledo. It was first mentioned in the 1100s. The church was built on the spot where an old mosque from the 1000s used to stand. When Toledo was taken, many mosques were used as churches without big changes.
Later, in the early 1300s, the church was in bad shape. A kind and wealthy man named Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, who was the Lord of Orgaz, paid to have it completely rebuilt. The old mosque's tower was turned into a beautiful bell tower in the Mudéjar style. The church is most famous because it holds a very special painting. This painting is called The Burial of the Count of Orgaz and was created by the famous artist El Greco. You can see this amazing artwork when you visit the church.
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Inside the Church
The church building has three main sections, called naves. It also has a part that crosses the main sections, like the arms of a cross. The ceilings are curved, like a barrel, and the end of the church is shaped like a polygon. To build the main chapel, which mixes Mudéjar and Gothic styles, the Lord of Orgaz had the old front part taken down. He also added a central dome with painted designs. Near the main altar, there is a door on the left side. This door leads to the bell tower, and you can climb up it using a staircase.
Inside the church, you will find two fancy altars from the Baroque period. There is also one altar in the Plateresque style and a baptism font from the 1500s. A very old statue of the Virgin Mary from the 1100s is also a highlight. The main chapel has a large altar from the 1800s. This altar replaced an older, very decorative one. In the middle of this altar is a painting called "The Unbelief of St. Thomas." It was painted by Vicente López Portaña.
The Chapel of the Conception
At the front of the church, on the right side, is the Chapel of the Conception. This is where Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, the Lord of Orgaz, was buried. He was a mayor of Toledo and a great helper of this church. He passed away in 1323 and asked to be buried here in his will. A famous legend says that when he was being buried, Saint Stephen and Augustine of Hippo appeared from heaven. They supposedly helped place him in his tomb.
This amazing story is shown in the painting "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz." El Greco painted this masterpiece in 1584. The church's priest at the time, Andrés Núñez de Toledo, asked him to create it. For this painting, the chapel was changed. A new square area was made with a half-dome ceiling. Four arched openings were added to the walls. Inside one of these arches, a stone tablet was placed. It has an inscription explaining the miracle. The painting itself was placed above this tablet, fitting perfectly into the arch of the wall.
The inscription on the tombstone is in Latin with gold letters on black marble. It tells the story of Don Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo. It mentions how he rebuilt the church and gave many gifts of gold and silver. It also describes the miracle where St. Stephen and St. Augustine appeared to bury him. The inscription also talks about how Gonzalo left money and goods for the church and the poor. Later, people from Orgaz tried to stop paying this money. But a court in Valladolid made them continue paying in 1570. This happened because the priest, Andrés Nuñez de Madrid, and the church's manager, Pedro Ruiz Duro, bravely defended the church's rights.
The Church Tower
The old tower was rebuilt in the 1300s by the Lord of Orgaz. It has a square shape and is a great example of the Mudéjar style found in Toledo. It is built with strong stone and brick, similar to the Church of San Román in the same city. The tower has beautiful shiny ceramic tiles embedded in its walls. Its two upper sections have double bells. These sections also have groups of two and three windows. Between these two floors, there is a decorative band of arches that look like they are blind (not open). These arches are shaped like clover leaves and are separated by small columns made of glazed clay. The very top of the tower has a unique "sawtooth" pattern.
Next to a double window on the second floor of the tower, there is a special white marble plate. It is from the Visigothic period. This plate has a shell shape and a cross with wide ends. It is also decorated with the letters Alpha and Omega. Experts have studied it and found it is similar to pieces made in workshops in Mérida. These workshops influenced art in Toledo.
Visiting the Church
The Church of Santo Tomé is open every day. People can visit to see the famous painting by El Greco. There is a fee to enter the church.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Santo Tomé (Toledo) para niños
