Leon Cathedral

Ads

Sponsored Links

Castilla Leon is a magical realm of castles, where Castellano language was born and the legendary hero El Cid emerged. It is the place where history, myth and legend have woven over the years, making it difficult to separate the truth from reality. It is the result of the union of two ancient kingdoms -Old Castile (Burgos, Palencia, Valladolid, Avila, Segovia and Soria) and the Kingdom of Leon (Salamanca, Zamora and Leon), which were separated and reunited several times over medieval era. Leon city is a jewel of Spain and houses Leon Cathedral, one of the most magnificent Gothic cathedrals of Spain. The cathedral is the pride of Leon and Leoneans. It is also called The House of Light or the “Pulchra Leonina”, where where there is more light than stone and more stained-glass windows than walls.

Leon Cathedral is a monument of faith and human sacrifice. In its architecture it is largely visible the French influence, especially in engineering construction codes and buttresses. The current Cathedral is the fourth one of those who stood on this site. Its construction began in the XIII century, and was completed in nearly 100 years. During the XIXth century and at the beginning of the XXth century, the construction was so damaged that was on the verge of destruction. Today, given the age and despite the fact that the building blocks of stone used were not of very good quality, the temple still stands in its majestic splendor. However, the building is more than 700 years older, and its current condition begins to worry professionals, as the soft sandstone, from which the folded walls of the church are made, under the action of wind and water begins to break down.

The main façade has two towers. The interior represents a combination of architecture, painting, sculpture and other arts. The narrow and very high nave is decorated with huge magnificent stained glass windows, which cover an area of more than 1,800 square meters. It is generally accepted that the stained glass windows of the cathedral in Leon are the best in Spain and among the world's finest ones. The cathedral holds within its walls many sacred works of art. There are almost 1,500 pieces including 50 Romanesque sculptures of the Virgin, dating from pre-historic times to the 18th century with works by Juan de Juni, Gregorio Fernández, Mateo Cerezo, a Mozarabic bible and several codices.

Now, if you come here, let us give you a true Leonean advice: come here at afternoon; sit on a bench in the very rear part of the hall; enjoy the organ music, which usually sounds at this time; light penetrating the stained glass windows turn the temple into a magical space, offering a tremendous peace of mind –maybe one of the most effective remedies for stress, anxiety and rhythm of modern life.

Sponsored Links