Growing up in Spain as a teenager, I really got a cathedral overdose, basically of churches in general. Without any education in architecture or art history, they all looked the same to me: stained-glass windows, buttresses, and arches. It was a real shame; fortunately, I have had the chance to correct that.

One of the cathedrals I have recently come to really enjoy is the Toledo Cathedral. Although I still remember being moved by the Greco paintings in the sacristy the first time I went as a teenager, I have now gone numerous times, and it just keeps on giving.

Under the guise of visiting my immersion students and conducting research at the Cathedral’s library, I recently visited the 800th-anniversary exhibition held in the cathedral itself. To put it mildly, it is breathtaking.

What will you see?

15th-century Tapiz del astrolabio (Tapestry of the Astrolabe)

1226 St. Louis Bible

All sorts of old documents

Paintings by Velázquez, EL Greco, Carducho, etc, etc.

The triforium, which is the corridor above the nave, used in Gothic architecture for construction and then maintenance.

Sculptures, including by El Greco! and of Cardinal Pascual de Aragón.

All sorts of church vestments, artifacts, implements, etc.

This is really an exhibit worth seeing. If you are in Madrid before October 14, 2026, jump on a train and go! You are welcome!