A Tour Of Toledo's Jewish Quarter: The Monastery

We had breakfast at a little cafe just around the corner from the front end of our street, and then met Javi at 9am for the final three hours of our five hour tour.  As we were staying at an apartment in the Jewish Quarter, Javi recommended we tour the main buildings of that area.

Before I go any further, let me highly recommend Javi as a guide if you are going to Toledo.  He can be booked by emailing Destino Toledo at reservas@destinotoledo.com.  Along with being interesting, he is very personable.  We felt like we got to know him and consider him a friend.  Hopefully he feels the same way.

The year 1492 was quite a big one in Spanish history.  Not just Columbus sailing the ocean blue, but also the completion of the Reconquista as the Moors were expelled from the Iberian peninsula after their initial invasion more than 700 years earlier.  Another key event was that Isabel and Ferdinand expelled Jews who refused to convert to Christianity.  

Our first stop with Javi was the huge San Juan de los Reyes monastery, which was built under the direction of Isabel and Ferdinand (I place the Queen first because she was the power of the throne, while it appears Ferdinand was mostly along for the ride).  It was to be the burial place of the Queen and King, but they ended up buried in Granada instead.

The exterior of the church, which gives off more a castle-feel to it, features chains that were used to shackle Christians before the Reconquista.  The church is a popular spot for weddings, so I joked that a set of chains is given to each bride for use after the marriage begins.  Javi laughed and Mrs. Iron Tourist shot me a half-hearted glare.  Half-hearted because, well, it was funny, and because she wasn't surprised by the quip after 35 years of marriage.

We bought the Toledo Tourist Bracelet, which allows access to seven historical buildings for the price of three.  It's definitely a good deal, and each location simply scans the QR code on the bracelet, so after buying it initially, allows you to breeze through into each monument.  

We got our money's worth, as we went to six of the seven monuments, three with Javi and then three on our own.

Back to the monastery. . .it was built to celebrate the birth of their son, Prince John, as well as an indecisive battle "victory" over the Portuguese, which at least was a decisive political victory that assured the throne and paved the way for the unification of the kingdoms of Spain.  Started in 1477, it was completed in 1504.

The church has many decorations of the Catholic monarchs coats of arms held by wonderfully-sculpted, and fierce-looking eagles.  The whole monastery is pretty amazing, with lots of great carvings, artwork, and depictions of the power of Isabella and Ferdinand.