Through the Montes de Toledo: the Mudejar church of Guadamur

Within that geographical area known as the Montes de Toledo, Guadamur is one of the most interesting towns, especially for those travelers who wish to enjoy cultural aspects, rich in history and tradition.

Distant, approximately fifty kilometers from Toledo capital, the main attractions offered by this town to the visitor, apart from the typical Castilian-La Mancha cuisine, are none other than the spectacular history of the discovery of the most important Visigothic treasure found in the Peninsula, its magnificent castle - one of the best preserved in Spain - and the 13th century hermitage, dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem.

Although, we will talk at another time about the details of the discovery and cover-up of the famous Visigoth treasure of Guarrazar, it is good to comment, for general information of any traveler who wishes to undertake adventure through these non-alien lands, after all, to the adventures of our Universal gentleman, Don Quixote de la Mancha, that in Guadamur there is a small Interpretation Center, in which you can see, perfect replicas of the famous Visigoth votive crowns, which belonged, among others, to famous kings like Recesvinto.

Although very renovated today, the chapel of Our Lady of Bethlehem, from whose position there is also a beautiful view of the castle, located on the outskirts of the municipality, still retains some elements, not simple, they should be less fascinating

Original and of beautiful invoice, whose vision contrasts notably with the bulrush added in later times, the apse or headboard, draws attention, not only for its low height and shape, which partly recalls the ancient Celtic cabins, but for the magnificent window executed by the Muslim bells that built the church, representative with the shape of a horseshoe arch that used to be used in the doors and windows of their own mosques.

Ways, obviously, that we meet again in the small windows of the nave and inside the church, at the height of the toral arch, where that sacred space or sancta-sanctum is included, which is the altar.

Precisely from the inside, it is worth noting the presence of elements of the so-called Three Cultures of the Book: Christian, Jewish and Muslim.

But possibly, the most extraordinary piece and in fact, the one that reaffirms that work of patience and pure craftsmanship that characterized the Muslim alarifes, is none other than the magnificent coffered ceiling, which gives the temple a note of magnificent elegance, difficult to equalize.

Also on the altar, and as a reminder of the importance of the discovery of the Visigothic treasure of Guarrazar, there are reproductions of Visigoth crosses and votive crowns, which suspended from the ceiling, remember the decoration for the liturgy, which was generally used in the Visigoth basilical temples, that not because of austere and obscure, in general, they had less beauty and interest, getting to check, that the Visigoth architects already had remarkable mathematical and geometric knowledge, knowing and using, among others, the measure and value of the number of gold or gold .

Stresses, also on the altar, a reproduction of Virgin with Child in her arms, the Virgin of Bethlehem, which shows, even being a modern reproduction, the unique aesthetic beauty of the ancient iconology of Byzantine origin.

An aesthetic, which usually tended to represent, among other features, darker features in the complexion of the Virgin and that in this case of the Marian icon of Guadamur, shows an affection between Mother and Son, which was far from coinciding with the artistic vision of many anonymous carvers and painters of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as evidenced by the large number of Marian images, in which the detachment between both parties must be highlighted.

Part of the capitals that support the toral arch, also show the theme used by the Visigoth quarries in their basilical churches: crosses and six-leaf or six-leaf flowers, immersed in their corresponding circle.

Representation of the renewal or rebirth, it is to be noted that this type of aesthetic manifestations, were also common in tombs of different cultures, such as Roman and even Celtic, and in the case of the hexapétala flower, in medieval times, it also served, located in the lintels of the homes and in the porches of churches and monasteries, as conjurers of witches, curses and evil spirits.

In short, a town and cultural aspects that can please and enrich, with the magic of its simplicity and its symbolism, any traveler who one day wants to penetrate the heart of these emblematic and mysterious Montes de Toledo and participate in the picturesque idiosyncrasy of its interesting populations.

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