Puerta del Sol, Toledo
Encyclopedia
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, built in the late 14th century by the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
.
The medallion above the arch of the gate depicts the ordination of the Visigothic Ildephonsus
Ildephonsus of Toledo
Saint Ildefonsus or Ildephonsus was the metropolitan bishop of Toledo from 657 until his death. He was a Visigoth and his Gothic name was Hildefuns, which evolved into the Castilian name Alfonso. Ildefonsus, however, is known as San Ildefonso in Castilian and there are several places named after him...
, Toledo's patron saint. The name of the gate comes from the sun and the moon that were once painted on either side of this medallion.
External links
- Artehistoria http://www.artehistoria.jcyl.es/ciudades/monumentos/442.htm (retrieved on December 5, 2008)