Toledo has two major historical synagogues. Synagogue El Transito was the one we were able to visit as Synagogue la Santa Maria Blanca was closed to visitors due to COVID. Synagogue El Transito was built in 1357 and was an active synagogue for 135 years before the Explosion of Jews from Spain. It was then turned into a church and was even later used by Napoleon as a military barracks before it turned into a museum in 1910. In spite of the substantial change in use, the majority of the original walls and the ceiling were still untouched. The museum provided a fairly detailed audio guide that talked about the history of the building and the Sephardi jews. The timing of the construction was curious as it ensues the Black Death, which resulted in significant pressure on religious minorities. However, some quick Wikipedia research indicates a theory that Peter of Castile allowed the construction of the synagogue as compensation for what happened to the Jews as part of the anti-Jewish programs during the Black Death. Samuel HaLevi who was the king’s treasurer received the funding for the construction of El Transito, even though he fell from favor and died under torture a few short years later.
Walking in the Jewish Quarter among all the old buildings after leaving the Synagogue puts you in the 14th century, and that is a feeling I truly appreciate. However, the young students of the University of Castilla-La Mancha left their class around the same time and pretty quickly reminded me that we are in the 21st century.
We were not able to visit the interior of the impressive building that is the Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes. It is closed on certain days of the week and we were not lucky enough to be in Toledo on an open exhibit day. However, I was able to snap a few photos of the outside. An interesting historical fact that I learned was related to the chains hanging from the Monastery. The chains were placed on the building in 1494 as a symbol of the Christians that were freed from the Muslim land, which with today’s political and geographical maps, would refer to Granada. I should admit that there are perks to traveling with a history professor.
We stopped by the city gate and looked at the city walls before going to Toledo Cathedral. I did not take photos of the city walls, as little did I know that the city walls are remnants of the Roman time. If I ever go back to Toledo with my camera, I will not spare one inch of Old Town. Every inch and every step needs to be photographed.
