Cristo de la Luz mosque

The Mosque of Christ of the Light

The Toledo audio-guided tour presents you with the small Mosque of Cristo de la Luz, the oldest monument of the city and one of the oldest Arab testimonies of Spain.

The city of the three cultures

Churches, synagogues, mosques: Toledo, like Cordoba, is nicknamed the city of the three cultures. Today called the hermitage of Christ of the Light, this mosque was built in 999 by Mussa Ibrahim Ali, as attested by an inscription on its façade. Built on the foundations of a former Visigothic church, it is the only survivor of the ten mosques that stood in Toledo in the Umayyad era of Al-Andalus, and the oldest monument of the city. In the twelfth century, it was converted into a church by decision of the bishop, against the will of the king who had promised the Muslims freedom of worship; the apse added then makes it a perfect example of Mudéjar art.

What there is to see

The Mosque of Christ of the Light, the oldest monument of Toledo, invites contemplation through its thousand-year-old architecture, where Umayyad, Visigothic and Mudéjar influences are superimposed. Small in size but immense in history, it embodies on its own the meeting of the three cultures that shaped the city. It is a rare and moving place, to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Mosque of Christ of the Light is at the bottom of the street of the Discalced Carmelites, in the old town of Toledo. It can be visited according to hours to be checked on site; access is made with respect for the place.

Why is the Mosque of Christ of the Light so important?

It is the oldest monument of Toledo, built in 999, and the only survivor of the ten mosques of the Umayyad era.

Why is Toledo the city of the three cultures?

Because the Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures long coexisted there, as its churches, mosques and synagogues testify.