Mudejar Art in the City of Three Cultures

Ten years ago I took a civilization of Spain class in college and I hardly remember much of anything. I do remember that I wrote a paper on the Arab reign in Spain and the religious tolerance that flourished. That was the first time I heard about the city of Toledo, Spain and it's nickname "city of three cultures." The three cultures referring to the people of three faiths- Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic.

What exists now is a very Catholic Toledo- every mosque or temple that may have existed simultaneously now turned into a church or museum and there is now a huge cathedral and monastery to show Catholicism's "triumph" over the others.

It is however the third best place to see Mudejar architecture, which is a remnant of the time when the religions lived peacefully side by side. It can be seen throughout southern Spain actually. I like UNESCO's description:

"Mudejar art is an artistic phenomenon that does not belong entirely to the cultures of Western Europe or Islam. Rather, it constitutes an authentic testament to the peaceful co-existence in medieval Spain of Christianity and Islam with contributions from Jewish culture, the fruit of which was a new form of artistic expression. This art, influenced by Islamic tradition, also reflects various contemporary European styles, particularly the Gothic."

To me it is symbol / testament of the religious tolerance that existed before and the possibility for it to exist once again on every corner of the world.

And it's beautiful too!

Here are some examples of mudejar art that we saw:

Cathedral of TOledo

Synogogue El Transito

Synogogue El Transito

Synogogue El Transito

Synogogue Santa Maria La Blanca (next two pics)

Monasterio San Juan de los Reyes (next 5 pics)

Mezquita Cristo de la luz, The Light of Christ Mosque (next 4 pics)

Julio by one of the doors to the walled part of the city

One of the doors to the city

Stunning views from Iglesia de los Jesuitas