A history of the Spanish Gothic cathedral of Toledo. Balances architectural history with close scrutiny of the cathedral's liturgy and cults, the sculpture on its portals and choir enclosure, its royal tombs, and its diverse treasury and textiles.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Tables
Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Note on the Text
Part 1
Introduction
Building Histories
The Historical Trajectory
Toledan Encounters
Chapter 1. The City
The Forma mezquite
Part 2
Chapter 2. The Design
Rodrigo and his Chapter
Building Big
Vaults
Chapels
Chapter 3. Rodrigo’s Project
Setting Out
New Altars, Old Altars
The Upper Levels
Building the Cathedral
Building Toledo
Chapter 4. Between Córdoba and Paris
Design and Transmission
Inventing vaults
Chapter 5. The Exemplary Form
Archaeological Evidence
Written Evidence
Stylistic Evidence
Finding the End
Part 3
Chapter 6. The Cathedral of Memory
Liturgy
The Dead
Sacred Topography
The Treasury
Chapter 7. Cults
Mad about Mary
Mary Multiplied
Greedyguts and Avarice
The Cult of St Ildefonso
The San Ildefonso Chapel
St Eugene
The Cross
Chapter 8. Urbs regia
The Royal Chapels
Kings and Crosses
History Embodied
Picturing History
Chapter 9. Cathedral and City
The Puerta del Reloj
The West Façade
The Puerta del Perdón
Chapter 10. Art and Belief
Tenorio and his Painters
Locating the Choir Enclosure
Picturing the Pentateuch
The Choir Enclosure and Image Culture in Late Medieval Castile
Conclusion. Toledo and Beyond
Glossary
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
“Few studies of Spanish Gothic architecture address the history and significance of a major cathedral with such mastery as does Tom Nickson’s Toledo Cathedral. Nickson’s meticulous scrutiny of primary texts and material evidence builds a cogent, persuasive construction narrative that illuminates the roots and trajectory of Toledo Cathedral’s distinctive design, while his reconstruction of the late medieval people, objects, and performances that animated this great building sheds unprecedented light on its continuing importance to a city bent on asserting its centrality to Iberian history, politics, and culture. Blending traditional architectural analysis with incisive social history, this impressive, generously illustrated book will reshape our understanding not just of Toledo’s history and meaning but also of the story and significance of Gothic architecture in Spain.”