SPAIN | León, Spain Travel Guide
Sunday, November 17, 2024
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La Catedral (La Pulchra Leonina)
Plaza de Regla
León
Castilla y León
Spain
98 787 57 70
Type: Religious Site
Hours: Daily July-Sept., 8:30 am-2:00 pm and 4:00-8:00 pm; Oct.-June, 8:30 am-1:30 pm and 4:00-7:00 pm
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León
Castilla y León
Spain
98 787 57 70
Type: Religious Site
Hours: Daily July-Sept., 8:30 am-2:00 pm and 4:00-8:00 pm; Oct.-June, 8:30 am-1:30 pm and 4:00-7:00 pm
Comments ( 0 )
Rating (0 Votes)
There is an appreciable levity to León’s Gothic cathedral. Standing before it in the Plaza Regia, it appears more glass than stone and, were it not for the series of buttresses embracing the apse, a light wind might easily topple it.
In total there are 125 stained glass windows, plus 57 circular ones and four enormous roses – more than any other Spanish cathedral can claim (“glory,” the largest rose window centered on the west façade between the twin 200-foot towers, measures eight m/26 feet in diameter).
Finely detailed and with all the brilliance of a kaleidoscope, these panes depict biblical stories, regional lore and travails
of the pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. If you’re standing inside with the sun shining through this array of colors, the cathedral almost sparkles. Building was begun in 1225 during the reign of King Alfonso the Wise over the former site of King Ordoño’s palace.
Many of the workers that had contributed to Burgos’ cathedral were dispatched to León for the construction and the two share unmistakable similarities, most notably in the French-influenced vaults and buttresses. And, like its sister cathedral, León’s is a jewel of purely Gothic styling.
No changes were made to the original plan during the 100 years of construction and, other than routine maintenance, there have been no additions since. There are worries, though, that pollution is beginning to take a toll on the cathedral’s soft sandstone surface.
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