El Greco's House and Museum

Known as El Greco (the Greek) because he was born in Crete, Doménikos Theotokópoulos was one of the great masters of Spanish painting. He was proud of his national heritage, so much so that he signed his work using characters from the Greek alphabet. During his formative artistic years in Venice and Rome, he was influenced by Tintoretto and Michelangelo respectively. In 1577 he moved to Spain where he finally settled in Toledo until his death in 1614. El Greco has a style which is quite unique in European painting: a strange combination of the expressive power of Italian Mannerism but illuminated by a mystical light and colour that reflects the artist's intense spiritual fervour.