On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the current Gothic cathedral in Toledo, Spain, Spanish painter and composer Kiko Argüello will present his symphonic work on Sunday, February 22, 2026, consisting of the compositions: “The Suffering of the Innocents” and “The Messiah.”
Press release from the Archdiocese of Toledo
Now, on the occasion of the eighth centenary of the laying of the foundation stone of the current Gothic cathedral, Kiko Argüello will present the work in a concert this Sunday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free through the Puerta Llana until capacity is reached.
The concert, which will be presented by Argüello, will be attended by the Archbishop of Toledo, Francisco Cerro Chaves. It will be conducted by the internationally renowned maestro Tomáš Hanus, who has performed at venues such as the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Paris Opera, the Teatro Real in Madrid, and La Scala in Milan. Pianist Claudio Carbó and choir director Abraham Sánchez complete the artistic cast.
The performance will be given by the Neocatechumenal Way Symphony Orchestra and Choir, founded in 2010 and made up of around 180 musicians of various nationalities who offer their talent free of charge in the service of evangelization through music.
With the Symphonic Work, Kiko Argüello offers an artistic experience of great spiritual depth and aesthetic power, where music, faith, and beauty come together to offer contemporary man a musical meditation on the mystery of Christ and the hope of the Resurrection.
The concert will be broadcast on Toledo Diocesan Television
Intense artistic activity
Kiko Argüello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way, together with Carmen Hernández, Servant of God, trained at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid and awarded the Extraordinary National Painting Prize in 1959, has been intensely involved in the arts, particularly painting, architecture, sculpture, and sacred music. His work is deeply linked to the proclamation of the Gospel through beauty, conceived as a reflection of God’s light and as an instrument for the new evangelization.
In 1964, after a profound conversion experience, he decided to live among the poor on the outskirts of Madrid, where the first community of the Neocatechumenal Way was born. Today, it is present in 138 countries and recognized by the Holy See as a gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church.
Art in the service of faith
Argüello is the author of important artistic and architectural interventions in temples and ecclesiastical centers around the world. His conception of art as a path to God has earned him international recognition.
On December 1, 2024, he was awarded the prestigious “Per Artem ad Deum” prize, granted by the Polish association SacroExpo under the patronage of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, in recognition of his contribution to faith through art.
A musical proposal with a spiritual and universal dimension
In 2010, Kiko Argüello composed his first symphony, El Sufrimiento de los Inocentes (The Suffering of the Innocents), a work in five movements that constitutes a profound meditation on the mystery of Christ’s death and the pain of the Virgin Mary.
Subsequently, he completed El Mesías, a symphonic poem for piano, choir, and orchestra, structured in three movements—Aquedah, Hijas de Jerusalén, and El Mesías, León para vencer—which form a triptych centered on the passion and suffering of Christ, dedicated to Christian martyrs.
International premieres and concerts
Il Messia premiered on November 19, 2023, at the Verdi Theater in Trieste, with a broadcast on RAI5.
In the Jubilee Year 2025, the Symphonic Work was performed at the “Parco dalla Música” Auditorium in Rome on the occasion of the Jubilee of Families, with both compositions being performed for the first time on the same evening. The concert was broadcast internationally by RAI5.
During 2025, the work will also be performed at iconic venues in Spain, such as the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, during the Jubilee of San Pelagio, and the Príncipe Felipe Auditorium in Oviedo, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way.
These concerts are part of an extensive international career that has taken the Orchestra to venues such as the Vatican, Jerusalem, Paris, Berlin, Budapest, Japan, the United States, and Poland, among others.
A historic year for the Church of Toledo and culture
In 2026, Toledo is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the start of construction on its medieval cathedral, promoted by King Ferdinand III the Saint and Archbishop Jiménez de Rada, and designed by the French master Martín.
An extensive program of liturgical, cultural, artistic, and heritage events throughout 2026 and part of 2027, coinciding with the Jubilee Year granted by the Holy See.
One of the major cultural events will be the exhibition “Primada. VIII Centenary of Toledo Cathedral,” which will open on May 25 and run until October 14, 2026. The exhibition will bring together more than 350 masterpieces—paintings, sculptures, codices, and tapestries—spanning eight centuries of art, faith, and heritage, with pieces by artists such as El Greco, Velázquez, and Zurbarán.
In addition to this exhibition, the program includes musical preludes and concerts in the Cathedral itself, such as this one featuring the symphonic work of Kiko Argüello.
