Going down Street Fair at the end of Commerce Street, we are at the bottom with the first and oldest of the facades of the Cathedral. It receives several traditional names: Fair gate of the Chapinería, the pots, of Kings, the lost child, but the most common is the Clock, by reference to the placed in eighteenth-century pointed arch above. The corner, medieval feel, which is part of the cover, enclosed within the walls of Ochavo and the chapel of the Sagrario, the viewer's left, as viewed from the front door, and the cloister and chapel San Pedro, on the right of the viewer, is, to say Chueca Goitia, the more attractive 1.
the same author notes that this cover, despite being the oldest of the cathedral, is dedicated to the Old Testament, as usually happened at the time, but the New and more specifically to episodes that deal with Life of the Virgin. In fact, says is a cover with a predominance of allegories Marian 2.
The lower section of this home is the most ancient, from the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, and reflects influences of the current French and Italian. It consists of a large arch, carved in white stone, within an equilateral triangle with archivolts flare, lavishly decorated jambs and lintels. Are the most important artistic bas-reliefs carved on the jambs, forming lines of tables with imaginary beings and biblical characters and those of the great arch intrados of singular type, containing in a highly original and curious parallel strips following the consecration of a prelate and his death in the outer two, and Herod and the Beheading of John the Baptist, the scenes of the rich man's house where he dismisses the poor dog aroused in other categories, without being subject, displayed soldiers on foot and horseback, Centaurs fighting, women dancing (some naked with various objects in his hand, and others dressed in wide robes), castles and towers of beautiful Gothic and Moorish architecture, rampant lions, Roman accent finials, rods with stylized leaves and other Muslim-type many lucid representations. Archivolts in the door, under canopies of fine tracery, repeated figures of angels and saints.
But the most outstanding in this door is the large drum, divided into four strips or friezes that complete an extensive iconographic cycle village figurines, with episodes of the New Testament is not easy to interpret, and are of lower top, left to right, in this order: the first band, The Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Adoration of the Shepherds, Epiphany, Massacre of the Innocents, in the second, from right to left of the viewer, the Flight to Egypt , Circumcision, Jesus to the Doctors, Baptism, the Marriage at Cana, in the third, seem miracles of Jesus, perhaps the resurrection Lazarus and the Final Judgement Purgatory or, finally, at the apex dormancy or the Transit of the Virgin, surrounded by apostles. It is thought the basis that the rich iconography could have a didactic nature relating to the Mozarabic liturgy tradition in Toledo where the ritual was well established and the drama of the mysteries whose purpose was to educate the people through representation.
In the mullion, chairman of the cover image of the Virgin Mary with Child, under canopy .
On the sides are, left on trefoil arches, the Magi and a page holding the reins smiling horses.
On the right, without correspondence with the previous case, San Jose, the Virgin and Santa Isabel, all work of John German, contemporary, therefore, Lions Gate, added in the XV century.
The bronze plates that line the outside of the walnut doors were carved by Antonio and Juan Antonio Domínguez Zurreño in 1713 and 1715, respectively, copying the drawings by Villalpando the Lion Gate.
The top was modified in the eighteenth century, at the time of Cardinal Lorenzana and is a work of consolidation due to the architect of the Church, Eugene Durango, in whose center is the clock "-white marble, fillets and golden ornaments "which gives its name to the door, framed in a body of architecture, surmounted by a triangular pediment, windows and skylights between neoclassical. Behind are remains of the original building and on them outside the rose between two bodies in the form of towers. Until the late nineteenth century remained a XVIII century square tower with two bells, described by Parro 3 protruding from the facade and which was demolished by ruinous.
should look at the iron gate that separates the atrium Tiled marble exterior. It is Gothic of the fifteenth century master work of Paul, whose name is entered in an incomplete Latin inscription on the frieze preserved. It can be seen, off, on the well crafted crest, coat of arms of Cardinal Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, as also in the inscriptions in Gothic fretwork frieze. Apparently, this gate was made for the choir, which explains why it has two entries, as is customary in the chorus, and seems to have been located in the chapel of San Pedro from where he brought in the eighteenth century.
LIONS GATE
Clock Gate, also called the Fair, with its rough carvings of hieratic stiffness and covered with compact eardrum scenes Creation, in contrast to the door at the other end of the cruise, the Lions, or, by another name, Joy, built two hundred years later, smiling and majestic at the same time as the entrance of a palace and revealing and carnal boldness of the Renaissance, he struggled to chambers between the rigidities of Christian architecture. A mermaid naked, attached to the coiled tail door serves as the caller.
(Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.'s Cathedral. Chapter II) .
Named from the seventeenth century by the lions that crown above the gate that he received in the past other names: New Gate, as the last one built or restored and the door of Joy because it Enell the issue of Assumption into heaven. Although very adulterated by later repairs, retains much of its natural composition and many of its most valuable details about what is going to be one of the most beautiful cathedral. Chueca Goitia conceptualize it, without hesitation, as "a of the most stunning covers of late Gothic art can be seen in the world "and" Gem of the universal art " 4. It
this facade to the south transept opposite the Clock and its styling was initiated in the mid-fifteenth century, in times of Cardinal Alonso Carrillo de Acuña and labor canon Rodrigo Vargas, replacing a previous home . It was completed in 1465-6, at the time of Cardinal Tavera, although the gate that closes the atrium is the seventeenth century and the restoration that added new elements to the set corresponds to the eighteenth century.
door, judges Chueca Goitia, is "the best outfit can be a Hispanic statuary seventeenth century French. " The bottom, which is the oldest and most valuable, was drawn by Anequín or Hannequín Brussels, perhaps as reform or replacement of an earlier and it worked like sculptors from 1459 to 1466 his brothers and Antonio Egas Cueman Brussels Martínez, Francisco de las Cuevas, John German, and his son Pedro Juan Guides Guides, all flamingos, says the professor cited above, ruled in a large workshop Toledo jewelers and engravers. Offers to the contemplation of historical significance for three further flare warhead 5 more interior adorned with decorative fretwork plant "consisting of several leafy stems row and lattices arising from rootlets typical of the period between the series totaling sixteen, fourteen and twelve angels, cherubs and musicians, respectively, of whole-body canopies that serve, in turn, shelf to the following, all of white stone very fine work and Egas Hanequín Cueman. Inside the arch is decorated with cresting
A separate run capitelillo Gothic arch whose jambs spaces occupy six statues of apostles and holy people " the purest Gothic supreme elegance, full-length and size natural. Most are identified by names that are engraved in Gothic letters and symbols nimbus y, según Chueca Goitia son: en el lado izquierdo, de dentro a fuera, San Pedro, San Juan y San Andrés y en el lado opuesto San Pablo, Santiago el Menor y San Matías. Son obra de los siguientes maestros: San Pablo y San Matías de Egas, San Pedro y el resto del estilo de Juan Alemán. En el ático interior que precede la puerta, situados en los muros laterales hay otras cuatro esculturas; en el lado izquierdo, María Salomé y María Magdalena y a la derecha María Jacobé y José de Arimatea, los cuatro de Juan Alemán, bajo doseletes más complicados y altos sobre crestería a la que se sobrepone un alto arco conopial muy propio del gotico flamígero. En el parteluz, centrando el conjunto, la Virgin with a book in hand, placed on a pedestal beautiful gothic found in four small carved figures representing the theological virtues, Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude Cueman Egas likely work on it another beautiful figure, saint, prophet or patriarch, seems to be worshiping the Mother of God.
On the lintel of the door, are two scenes in a frieze, which are said Chueca Goitia " are the finest pieces of sculpture that I know English fifteenth-century Flemish " They represent the death of the Virgin and burial in three episodes, true legend illustration Aurea, Egas possible work of a quality and surprising liveliness and serve as thematic reference to the group of the Virgin of the Assumption, crowned with stars and surrounded by angels in the clouds, located in the eardrum and that is the work due to Mariano Salvatierra (1791) as the two statues archbishops and ten medallions of saints, prophets and patriarchs, arranged around a central medallion representing the Virgin and that were commissioned by Eugene Durango in restoring it to ensure the factory did in the eighteenth century Gothic. This restoration that goes from the lower surface of the pointed arch to the triangular pediment that crowns an image they say is of St. Augustine, is generally considered unwise. At the sides of the cover to the ground will serve as a framework two ornate pillars, where there are two large statues of Archbishops topped up by two large vases, all of white stone. The closing of the door, which actually prevents detailed vision of sculptural details, is supported by pillars ending in lions Tenant, this is presenting shields 6 and the iron gate that guards are the work of the master gatekeeper Madrid Juan Alvarez made in 1644.
should not pass unnoticed, the traveler, the two leaves of the doors covered with brass plates, painted dark green, maroon background, started with his usual mastery by Francisco Villalpando and finished by Ruiz Diez del Corral in 1567. Are based on watermarks chiseled, geometric and grotesque and curious support two callers as consisting of an upper mask whose mouth hang two opposing sirens that " curving gracefully and worked with such perfection and intelligence-Parro says meat but do not seem "holding their heads and arms from the handle.
PLAIN DOOR
Thus the call because it alone has access to the temple at street level, so it is used for entry and exit processions including the most famous, of Corpus Christi. It seems that was also formerly known as the trucks door of the Olive or the Dean, dignity I had in front of her home, where tickets are purchased today for entry to the temple 7. It was built as of late 1800, at the time of Cardinal Infante Luis Maria de Borbon, replacing the previous one which just has been no news. In the inner wall, above the lintel of the door, it reads the date in Roman construction. It is therefore the most modern cathedral, designed by Ignacio 8 Haam, who was a disciple of Sabatini and classically trained architect who left important works in the cathedral. Described by Parro
9 of "great " and denigrated by José María Quadrado 10 who are accused of being "heavy " and "petty " modern criticism praises without reservation, noting purism of its classical architecture 11 . "Epitaph of art in the cathedral, makes it very dignified, as judged by 12 Guillermo Tellez, who points out that although work" widely criticized and, of course, very discordant with the Goth of the cathedral, not so much with the balanced environment of the temple and the adjacent bare walls dominate Fenestration sobriety. " Even with more enthusiasm, Chueca Goitia presents as a "wonderful monument of autonomy" as the "gateway to a rock carving hypogeous" 13
The exterior façade consists of a single body, great proportions, neoclassical style, consisting of two large Doric columns, similar in all respects to the cloister of the University of Lorenzana, here in Toledo and two berroqueña stone pilasters with Ionic capitals white Colmenar stone supporting a triangular pediment sober and judicious . In between the columns, stood a great iron gate signed by Antonio Rojo in Toledo in 1805, "master gatekeeper in the city that it was after the King," says Parish, who also calls for the traveler's attention on the leaves of the doors that are "very fine walnut and finely worked, spiked bronze and with all the hardware very well done. "
MUFFIN DOOR
Muffin The Gate of Justice or the lost child is found just below the arch that connects the Archbishop's Palace to the Cathedral. It's called the Muffin because she was a poor day in the form of relief a handout of bread baked in parts then called "muffins" 14 ; of Justice, because the inside was daily hearing the vicar, or Vicar General of the Archbishop and the Lost Child by Bayeu mural depicting the martyrdom of Santo Niño de la Guardia located in the inner wall at the entrance.
A portion of the street has a Gothic façade of white stone, consisting of a pointed arch which rests on marble columns with capitals plant. The threads of the rest in other capitals, pillars of stone and run the tape between them is decorated with winding stem sometimes born from the mouth of a small animal which leave different types of leaves without missing the derivation of the palm Muslim. At the top is alfiz to lead to the exterior columns and lion head angle, missing the left. The aforementioned elements of the arch and the Hispano ataurique sheet show the existence of Mudejar art in the early fifteenth century when the door was carved by Alvar Martinez during the pontificate of Archbishop D. Sancho de Rojas (1415-1422) whose coat of arms are sculpted in the spandrels of the arch that forms the outer cover. Should be done to make way for the faculty once it is complete. Is closed by two sheets of wood, iron and bronze studded with nails whose head is a star within a circle or four shells arranged in a cross and to transpose you have to download some stone steps to the pavement stalls, because the faculty is below street level. On the inside the door does not have any architectural motif.
© Manuel Martínez Bargueño
February 2010
1. Chueca Goitia, Fernando. The cathedral of Toledo. Editorial Everest. 1984. p.32.
