Leon Cathedral

Leon cathedral was begun around 1205 on French Gothic principles, closely following Reims, and its builders pushed the structural logic further than most: the walls between the piers are given over almost entirely to windows, leaving around 1,800 square metres of stained glass in 125 windows and three rose windows, most of it from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries and among the largest surviving medieval glazing programmes in Europe. That ambition nearly destroyed the building; the stone chosen was poor and the vaults were failing by the nineteenth century, requiring a long restoration that dismantled and rebuilt much of the structure. The effect inside on a bright day is the point, and the light changes completely through the hours.

History

The Roman Seventh Legion built baths on this site larger than the present cathedral, and their remains were found during the 19th-century restoration and again in 1996. King Ordoño II, who took the throne in 916, gave up the palace built over the baths for the first cathedral, where he was buried in 924, and Alfonso V was crowned there in 999; a Romanesque cathedral followed with the help of the Infanta Urraca, and the Gothic cathedral was begun in the 13th century. On 28 August 1844 it became the first monument declared by royal order in Spain (Wikipedia, León Cathedral).

The main sights

• The glass walls - 1,800 square metres of medieval stained glass in 125 windows.
• The rose windows - three great wheels at the west and transept ends.
• The French Gothic plan - a design following Reims closely.
• The cloister and museum - carved capitals and a collection of religious art.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the glass needs bright light to work, so a sunny day matters more than the season. Leon winters are cold and the cathedral is unheated. Services close it periodically.

Good to know

On an overcast day the interior is dim and the glass loses much of its effect. The building is unheated and genuinely cold in winter. The cloister and museum are ticketed separately from the nave in some arrangements.

Nearby

Casa Botines and San Isidoro are minutes away; the Camino Frances passes through the city.

Key facts