Toledo, city of Corpus Christi
Toledo, an ancient city, dresses up every year to pay tribute to one of its most deeply rooted and universal festivities: Corpus Christi. Declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest, this celebration transcends the religious to become a living manifestation of our heritage, identity and tradition.
For centuries, the city has been involved in this festivity that transforms its historical layout into a scene of meditation and beauty. Awnings, lanterns, altars and the smell of thyme turn the heart of Toledo into a procession that unites entire generations. A moment of encounter, of shared faith and of deep pride for the people of Toledo.
The undisputed protagonist of this great celebration is the Custody of Arfe, a masterpiece of Gothic goldsmithing, made of gilded silver by the master Enrique de Arfe in the sixteenth century, which houses inside the gold monstrance, which belonged to Queen Isabella the Catholic, made by Jaume Aimeric. This jewel, of extraordinary artistic and spiritual value, carries the Blessed Sacrament in the processional route and is a symbol of the splendor of the Toledo Corpus. Its meticulous beauty and technical perfection have made it an inseparable emblem of our city.
For me, as Mayor of Toledo, it is a source of great satisfaction that Correos has wanted to dedicate a commemorative stamp to the Corpus Christi of Toledo, and that the image chosen is precisely the Custody of Arfe. This gesture not only pays tribute to our most unique celebration, but also contributes to project to the world the richness of our legacy.
Thus, I am honored to invite all philatelists and culture lovers to discover, through this stamp, a tradition that beats strongly in the soul of our city. May this issue serve as a window to the beauty, history and emotion that every year awakens the Corpus Christi of Toledo.
