Spain: Chris Bottari-Tower (Learning on Excursions)

Program: Saint Louis University-Madrid, Spring

During our program in Madrid, I participated in a day visit to Toledo, a city that beautifully reflects the layered religious and artistic history of Spain. The bus ride was about an hour, and as we approached the city, its position above the river immediately stood out. Seeing the Roman bridges firsthand reminded me how many civilizations have shaped this landscape long before modern Spain existed.

One of the stops I made was the Alcázar. Learning that it originally stood during the period of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula helped me connect it to our discussions about Al-Andalus and the long-lasting architectural and cultural influence of Islamic governance in Spain. I began noticing features we had studied, especially the use of horseshoe arches, a defining element of Islamic architecture that I had previously only seen in lecture slides.

The Cathedral of Toledo was another highlight. Its soaring Gothic design, vertical emphasis, and intricate decoration directly reflected the architectural principles we analyzed in class. Standing inside the cathedral made those structural concepts feel real rather than theoretical. The scale, light, and detail demonstrated how Gothic architecture was designed to inspire awe and communicate spiritual power.

I also walked through the historic Jewish quarter and visited a former synagogue that now serves as a museum. This space reinforced our conversations about convivencia, which is the coexistence of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities in medieval Toledo. Seeing these religious spaces within walking distance of one another gave deeper meaning to that historical concept.

This visit strengthened my understanding of Spain’s artistic and religious development. Experiencing the architecture in person allowed me to move beyond memorizing terms and instead see how history is physically embedded in a city’s streets and structures.