Ánima.

Following its conquest in 1085 by Alfonso VI, the city of Toledo became the ‘city of the three cultures’ or of the three great monotheistic religions. Years later, Alfonso X of Castile, known as ‘the Wise’, who was originally from Toledo, by guaranteeing the rights of Christians, Jews and Muslims, turned the city into a religious, cultural and intellectual centre of the first order, not only on the Iberian Peninsula but throughout Western Christendom. The city thus became a place where a large number of Jews, free Muslims – known as Mudejars – and Christians, who centuries earlier had been known as Mozarabs, lived side by side. As a result of this contact between members of the three religions, we find abundant traces of this coexistence of cultures in every corner of the city and in many of its iconic buildings.

It is within this context that the project in question is situated: the Church of the Convent of Santa Úrsula, a fine example of conventual architecture that has helped shape the urban fabric, giving Toledo its own identity as a ‘conventual city’. It is one of the city’s oldest convents, founded in 1259, during the reign of Alfonso X, as a convent of nuns governed by the Rule of St Augustine. From the very beginning, the nuns’ integrity and devotion attracted numerous alms and benefactors, which in the 14th century facilitated the construction of the church, incorporating the legacy of Toledo’s Mudejar or Hispano-Muslim art, a reflection of the medieval concept of beauty that emerged from the coexistence of cultures.

Es en este contexto donde se enmarca el proyecto en cuestión: la iglesia del convento de Santa Úrsula, un magnífico ejemplo de arquitectura conventual que ha contribuido a configurar el tejido urbano, dotando a Toledo de su propia identidad como «ciudad conventual». Se trata de uno de los conventos más antiguos de la ciudad, fundado en 1259, durante el reinado de Alfonso X, como convento de monjas regido por la Regla de San Agustín. Desde sus inicios, la integridad y la devoción de las monjas atrajeron numerosas limosnas y benefactores, lo que en el siglo XIV facilitó la construcción de la iglesia, incorporando el legado del arte mudéjar o hispano-musulmán de Toledo, reflejo del concepto medieval de belleza surgido de la convivencia entre culturas.

Visitors will be able to take an immersive tour through different areas of the church. They will first be introduced to the meaning of monastic life, its history and spirituality – with particular emphasis on the importance of women – amidst an atmosphere evoking the activities that once took place within these walls. Organ music and liturgical chant, characteristic of the divine service, will set the scene for an auditory experience that transports the visitor, both chronologically and spatially, to the Middle Ages, set within the context of this sacred space. Alongside the music, combined with narration and a video-mapping projection show, the experience will culminate in front of Alonso Berruguete’s altarpiece ‘The Visitation’, dating from the early 15th century. At the pinnacle of artistic beauty, which exalts the divine and the human in their relationship with God, through the use of new technologies and lighting effects, the sculptural ensemble will be presented as a gateway leading to a rebirth and a new era into which the Middle Ages flows.

This immersive experience, aimed at all audiences regardless of age or beliefs, aims to make the tangible and intangible heritage associated with the site of the Convent Church of Santa Úrsula accessible, and to offer an innovative, sustainable and high-quality tourist initiative as part of the joint project ‘Expedition 4.0 to the Middle Ages’.

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