Horapolo y Alciato en Toledo: lectura en clave emblemática de un poema heroico (Sagrario de Toledo, 1616)

The heroic poem Sagrario de Toledo written by Jose de Valdivielso was published in 1616 by commission of the Archbishop Bernardo de Sandoval to commemorate the inauguration of his Cathedral Chapel. With a dual purpose focused towards devotion and propaganda, in the octaves distributed in the 25 books of the poem the poet shows all his erudition. Valdivielso handles sources as Emblematic Literature, with explicit references to the Hieroglyphica of Horapollo and the Emblematum liber of Alciato, integrated inside the plot of the poem to develop concepts such as the episcopal dignity of san Ildefonso, the fight against heresy in defense of the virginity of Mary, the exaltation of the festivity of the Virgin of the O, and the dishonest love of don Rodrigo and La Cava on the banks of the Tagus River. This way, Poetry and Emblematic support one each other, becoming an exceptional example of the confluence of genres in the context of the visual culture of Spanish Golden Age.