Santo Tomé Church

Santo Tomé Church is the place where we find El Greco’s impressive painting “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz”. But we have already heard all about the painting.

Santo Tomé Church was built at the beginning of the 12th Century and reconstructed in the middle of the 14th Century by the Count of Orgaz, notary from Castile. The tower is one of the best examples of Toledo’s mudejar art. The interior of the church has three naves where we can see an altarpiece and a font, both from the 16th Century, and an image of the Virgen de la Alegría. It is an image that portrays the Virgin with the child and he is touching her chin while she smiles. It is really beautiful.

This great painting is divided into two great areas: on one side, on the higher part you can observe a celestial area with Christ, the Virgin, angels, saints and other deceased figures. In the lower part, the earthly part, a burial surrounded by some ecclesiastical and civil figures is represented.

The origin of the painting must be traced to the assignment that Andrés Nuñez de Madrid (Parish of Santo Tomé) commissions to El Greco in 1586. He wanted a painting to put in the lateral chapel of the church. This painting had to represent the miracle that happened in 1323 in the church at the time of the burial of Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, count of Orgaz: at that moment St. Agustin and St. Stephen came down from Heaven and they bury him with their own hands. Thus, the painting had to represent this scene in order to inform the visitor of the extraordinary event that happened there, and at the same time remind him that certain virtues such as charity, prayer and saints are enough reasons to achieve eternal life.

They say that it is the most visited church in Toledo, but only because of El Greco’s painting, “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz” that can be found at the entrance.

The church is not worthwhile, even though there is a sculpture of a penitent with a black robe and real hair that is very impressive. Observe and observe again the painting of El Greco, then take a half turn to contemplate a crucifixion on the opposite wall, it is very nice.

A man will charge you 2,60 € to go in. It is worth it especially because the colors of El Greco’s painting that we have all seen in pictures