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Toledo
Photograph by James P. Blair
Around 1577, El Greco—an outspoken, flamboyant Greek painter in his mid-30s—journeyed to Spain to seek his fortune. In time his adopted land would claim him as one of its greatest artists, and the identities of El Greco (The Greek) and Toledo would become closely linked.
Suspended between heaven and earth, Toledo—Spain's spiritual heart—has changed little from the day the Greek painter El Greco arrived in the 1570s.
—From "Toledo—El Greco's Spain Lives On," June 1982, National Geographic magazine
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Calle del Comercio
Photograph by James P. Blair
Geranium-filled balconies overlook the Calle del Comercio. New construction is restricted in Toledo, a national monument since 1941.
—From "Toledo—El Greco's Spain Lives On," June 1982, National Geographic magazine
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Toledo Cathedral in Ayuntamiente Square
Photograph by James P. Blair
The focus of religious life in the city, Toledo Cathedral (at left) forms one side of Ayuntamiento Square. Part of the cupola was designed by El Greco's son. In the 15th century Toledo's archbishop, described by an observer as "more like a pope than a prelate," presided over an archdiocese that incorporated most of central Spain. Today's archbishop remains the primate of Spain's Roman Catholic Church.
—From "Toledo—El Greco's Spain Lives On," June 1982, National Geographic magazine
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Santa María la Blanca Church
Photograph by James P. Blair
In 1411, during the dark chapter of repression, the city's oldest synagogue was converted into the church of Santa María la Blanca. Muslims, Jews, and Christians had coexisted for 700 years until intolerance flamed; unconverted Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.
—From "Toledo—El Greco's Spain Lives On," June 1982, National Geographic magazine
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Windmills in La Mancha
Photograph by James P. Blair
Windmills tilt at the skies in the historic region of La Mancha, southeast of Toledo, where ventured Miguel de Cervantes' legendary knight, Don Quixote. Cervantes, El Greco, and dramatist Lope de Vega lived in Toledo, adding their art to a city where East and West fused and flourished.
—From "Toledo—El Greco's Spain Lives On," June 1982, National Geographic magazine
