Iglesia de los Jesuitas (San Ildefonso)

Beautiful and peaceful temple. Iglesia de los Jesuitas (San Ildefonso) is a stunning church with impressive architecture and a serene atmosphere. The interior is beautifully decorated, making it a great place for quiet reflection. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

I loved visiting thus quiet church of los Jesuitas. Nice bright and calm atmosphere inside. Unfortunately the church is kind of renovation at this moment. The attraction is to get into the top to have good view of the city of Toledo. It's very comfortable and easy to the top, the stairs are easy to access. Recommended!

4€ entrance for the towers. Nice view, totally worth it. 30 min experience.

a truly magnificent temple, with a rich interior and history, an incredible atmosphere. and by climbing the tower you can see a spectacular view of Toledo

Great tower viewpoint you can go up to - as long as you’re not afraid of heights on the long climb!

Visited in August 2024 The Church of San Ildefonso is a Baroque style church located in the historic center of the city of Toledo, in Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is also known as the Jesuit church and is consecrated to Saint Ildefonso of Toledo, patron of the city and Father of the Church. Its construction took more than 100 years. Work began in 1629 on lands acquired by the Jesuits of Toledo in 1569. The location hosted the houses of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza Rojas y Guzmán, count of Orgaz. It was the birthplace of Saint Ildefonsus. Its approach followed the example of the Jesuit churches of Palencia and Alcalá de Henares and that of the Church of the Gesù, in Rome. It is the main church of the Company of Jesus. This trace has been attributed to Jan Bautista Monegro, at that time the master of the Cathedral. Jesuit architect Pedro Sánchez, a Jesuit brother, was in charge of the construction of the temple. Sánchez died in 1633 and was replaced by another companion of his order, Francisco Bautista, who built the facade and reredos in Baroque style. In 1669, Bautista left his place to Bartolomé Zumbigo, native architect of Toledo, who finished the towers and the facade. San Ildefonso was consecrated in 1718, although the sacristy, the main chapel and the octave, which contains the reliquary were incomplete. In 1765, the temple was finally completed under the direction of Jose Hernandez Sierra, architect of Salamanca. Unfortunately for the order of the Jesuits, only two years after the expulsion from Spain by order of king Charles III of Spain under the charge of instigating the Esquilache Riots, which had taken place in 1766. The Company of Jesus did not recover the church until the twentieth century.

I did not have it on my list of must see things before coming to Toledo, but now I can say it should be on everyone's list. Impressive interior, impressive exterior, but it's a must to climb to the top observation deck for the amazing views of the city. Great pics to be had.

The interior of the church, with the main nave shaped like a Latin cross, is spacious and white. In this nave, the high dome stands out over the transept. In the transept there are two large baroque altarpieces. On either side of the main nave, there are separate rows of four smaller chapels each, lavishly decorated in Baroque and Rococo styles.

If you only have time to knock out a few of Toledo's major attractions, you must at least stop on by to Iglesia de los Jesuitas for the VIEW! It's not surprise to locals and tourists that this viewpoint is popular. As you walk through this labyrinth they call a town, you'll find solace in a view that lets you look over the cityscape, cathedrals, and monuments that make Toledo what it is today. Hopefully your trip up here is during a sunny day! A blue sky would make the experience even better. Unfortunately, the view is not very access-friendly, so folks that require some assistance may find it difficult to find their way to the top. However, the church itself is beautiful and a marvel in Toledo.

Note: there are two listings of the same church one with its Spanish name and the other with its English name- "Church of the Jesuits" Another great church in a city filled with churches and second only in majesty to the cathedral. Like other churches it has a large and colorful altarpiece located at the end of the main hall under a soaring ceiling. We stopped in on a Sunday in Mid-April with our guide and had the unexpected pleasure of learning that it was free to enter on this day instead of the usual 2€. It's a magnificent church but it's best feature is the opportunity to climb the 131 steps to the top of the towers to take in the views of the cathedral and surrounding countryside. It wasn't too busy when we were there so we had no wait to climb the stair and there were only 3 other people up top. The space is limited-really only room enough for single-file but since no one was behind, we could take our time with pictures and the view. It's an easy climb if you take your time and definitely worth a stop during your visit to Toledo.

Obviously the big reason to come here is for the view. Toledo is not a very large city to walk through but this place is a hidden gem. You must locate the church first, then pay admission, then find the stairway to the top of the tower. The reward of course is this wonderful and incredible view. This was my second favorite place in Toledo after the cathedral. Absolutely fantastic and do not miss this gorgeous view.

This little church is wonderful. If you want a very beautiful view from the tower then this is it. We paid 2.80 euros pp to tour this church. The tower is great. Nice stairs to the top. If visiting Toledo I think you won't be dissatisfied with this self guided little church.