{"id":2723,"date":"2014-11-12T09:09:22","date_gmt":"2014-11-12T09:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2026-10-09T14:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T14:01:30","slug":"mezquita-cristo-de-la-luz-toledo-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/articles\/mezquita-cristo-de-la-luz-toledo-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Mezquita Cristo de la Luz, Toledo, Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz is a small former mosque in the old town of Toledo, built in the year 999 and turned into a church in the 12th century. This post covers its history and architecture, and the opening hours and prices for a visit.<\/p>\n

What it is<\/h2>\n

The building was put up as the mosque of Bab al-Mardum, on top of an old Roman road. The organisation that manages it, Toledo Monumental, describes it as the oldest monument still standing in Toledo. The city’s tourist board calls it one of the most important monuments of Hispano-Muslim and Mudejar architecture in Spain.<\/p>\n

The interest of the building lies in its two parts. The first is a prayer hall from the time of the Caliphate of C\u00f3rdoba. The second is an apse added two centuries later, when the mosque became a church. The builders of the apse followed the style of the older hall, and the result is an early example of Mudejar art.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

A Kufic inscription made of brick runs across the fa\u00e7ade and gives the date of construction. It was found in 1899, when a wall that hid it was pulled down. The founding inscription says that the mosque was commissioned by Ahmad ibn Hadidi. It is not known whether it was for private or public use.<\/p>\n

Castile took Toledo in 1085. According to legend, King Alfonso VI discovered a figure of Christ here, lit by an oil lamp, that had been hidden behind a wall to save it from desecration. Toledo Monumental tells the related story of the king’s horse kneeling in front of the building. The name Cristo de la Luz (Christ of the Light) comes from this legend.<\/p>\n

In 1182 the mosque was converted into a Christian church, the Ermita de la Santa Cruz, and the apse was added. Excavations in 2006 uncovered the Roman road and a cave under the altar.<\/p>\n

Architecture<\/h2>\n

The building has a square floor plan of about 8 metres on each side. Four reused columns with Visigothic capitals divide it into nine square bays. Horseshoe arches carry nine small vaults, and no two vaults have the same design.<\/p>\n

The walls are of brick. The fa\u00e7ades are decorated with arches that recall the Great Mosque of C\u00f3rdoba<\/a>. The Mudejar apse is decorated outside with blind arches. Inside it keeps Romanesque wall paintings, among the southernmost in Spain, with a Christ in Majesty surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists.<\/p>\n

The garden next to the building has a view of the nearby Puerta del Sol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Opening hours and tickets<\/h2>\n

The address is Calle Cristo de la Luz, 22. According to Toledo Monumental<\/a>, the building is open every day:<\/p>\n