The space chosen for this edition of MoonJune Festival is El Círculo del Arte de Toledo, once upon a time an old church of San Vicente, founded by King Alfonso VI shortly after the Muslim conquest of Spain. It was the former headquarter of the Spanish Inquisition, and now a chapel for worship and the creation of art.
Website: circuloartetoledo.org/circulo
In the oldest documentation of the building, it is stated that the old church of San Vicente was founded by King Alfonso VI after conquering the city of Toledo from the Arabs for the kingdom of Castile. The building has undergone, over the centuries, different reconstructions, transformations and additions. Its current main façade, in which Roman and Visigothic reliefs can be seen embedded, either as decoration or as reused materials, hides the original one with added constructions, its oldest preserved element being a splendid apse, from the 13th century, which is already in In the XV, through a recess in the street, its foundation platform was exposed, giving it its current slenderness and appearance of a Mudejar tower. In the Baroque period, a large stone shield and two openings were incorporated in the axis with the purpose of illuminating the main chapel and a chamber below it, leaving only a third (sepulchral) crypt located under both. underground to the current street. This peculiar apse is known in Toledo as ‘Cubillo de San Vicente’, being one of the most valuable Mudejar remains of the thousand-year-old city. Inside, and corresponding to the time of its construction, corner friezes can be seen, horizontally separating the double arches that run along the internal perimeter of the apse in which blind arches of semicircular (bent) and horseshoe typology alternate ( pointed), sheltered by other lobed. To the right, and taking advantage of the thickness of the wall, a small Gothic chapel was opened, with a ribbed vault, from the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century.
Círculo de Arte de Toledo is a national cultural association based in Toledo, whose purposes are artistic creation, the celebration of all kinds of cultural activities, meetings and exchanges of artists and, in general, any activities that can be developed for the improvement of the cultural environment of Toledo and, therefore, of Castilla-La Mancha, as well as hosting national and international artists in exhibitions, performances, concerts, and any other event that they propose and we can attend. The association is not for profit and dedicates the benefits derived from paid activities to the development of other free activities for the public, and to the maintenance of the entity itself.
The Círculo de Arte strives, also in a special way, to attend to young artists so that they can publicize their plastic, graphic, photographic, narrative, poetic, scenic creations, etc., as well as artists without financial resources but with creative solvency .Our project is absolutely free and independent of any factor of ideological or economic power, so we have no more limitations when programming than those reflected in the laws that regulate freedom of expression in Spain. Everything that is legal, brave, imaginative, intelligent and supportive is well received. All the people who know how to defend what is theirs and respect what belongs to others, especially what is different and even contrary, are our friends.
The Círculo de Arte, whose members are artists or intellectuals linked to the city of Toledo, is governed, administered and represented by a General Assembly, with the Board of Directors being in charge of direct management. The composition of said Board is chosen in the Assembly itself by all the partners, and the positions of the same are renewed among those elected.
The Círculo de Arte gives priority to the activities generated by its artist partners, through its different departments, and pays special attention to those of Castilian-La Mancha artists, based on a firm commitment to promoting creativity in the Castilla-La Mancha region.
The Círculo de Arte extends its activity to the national level, offering its room to all the artists who formulate proposals through their standardized application documents, included on this website.
The international activity is vibrant through the online presence, and through the International Meeting of Artists in Toledo NEXO.
