Santa María la Blanca
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The synagogue of Santa María la Blanca is a religious building erected in the city of Toledo, Spain in 1180 a.D. (according to the inscription on a beam).
Its stylistic and cultural clasification is not simple, because it was constructed in Christian territory, the Kingdom of Castile, by Islamic constructors, for Jewish use and owers. It is considered a symbol of the cooperation of the Three Cultures who populated the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages.
[edit] The style
The synagoge is considered to be a Mudéjar construction, due to an strict use of the definition of the style: it was created by Moorish architects in Christian soil, for non-Islamic purposes. But it can also be considered one of the finest example of the Almohad architecture, because of the construction elements and style. The white, nude interior walls, the use of brick and of pillars instead of columns and the vegetal decoration of the capitals are characteristical of the Almohad architecture. The tipology also presents nuances in its clasification, because although it was constructed as a synagogue, its hypostyle room, and the lack of a women's gallery make it closer a the mosque typo. It became a church in the 15th century, but no major reforms were done for the change. It took then the name of Santa María la Blanca (Saint Mary, the White), and today it is known by this name.
