Iglesia de Santo Tomé
On Gingerguide's self-guided Toledo audio tour, Iglesia de Santo Tomé is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Toledo Toledo guide
About Iglesia de Santo Tomé
A plain parish church that holds one of the world's great paintings: El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz, made in 1586 to hang over the very tomb it depicts, and never moved since.
The church of Santo Tomé, in Toledo's old Jewish quarter, is famous as the home of El Greco's masterpiece The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. A medieval church rebuilt in the 14th century on the site of a former mosque, it has one of Toledo's finest Mudéjar bell towers, adapted from the mosque's minaret; the rebuilding was funded by Gonzalo Ruíz de Toledo, lord of Orgaz. In 1586 the parish priest commissioned El Greco to paint, above the lord's tomb, the legend of his 1323 burial, at which Saints Stephen and Augustine were said to descend to lay him in the grave. The large canvas, about 480 by 360 cm and finished around 1588, divides into an earthly funeral below and heaven above, and includes portraits of contemporary Toledans and of the painter's own son. It has remained in the church ever since.
Did you know? El Greco signed the painting on a handkerchief tucked into the pocket of a small boy at the front, and dated it 1578, the year his son, the very boy in the picture, was born.
How much time do you need at Iglesia de Santo Tomé?
Around ~30 min works well for Iglesia de Santo Tomé — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Iglesia de Santo Tomé?
Yes — Iglesia de Santo Tomé made the cut as one of 17 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Toledo. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Toledo
Hear the story of Iglesia de Santo Tomé
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