León Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids León Cathedral |
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| 42°35′58″N 5°34′0″W / 42.59944°N 5.56667°W | |
| Country | Spain |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www.catedraldeleon.org/ |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Dedication | Virgin Mary |
| Consecrated | 13th century |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Architecture |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 90 m |
| Width | 29 m |
| Height | 30 m |
| Number of spires | 2 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | León |
| Province | León |
The Santa María de Regla de León Cathedral is a famous Catholic church in the city of León, in north-western Spain. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This cathedral was the very first building in Spain to be officially declared a national monument on August 28, 1844.
Building started in the 13th century. It is one of the best examples of Gothic architecture with ideas from France. People also call it the Pulchra Leonina, which means ‘Beautiful Leonese’. The cathedral is located along the famous pilgrimage route known as the Camino de Santiago, or Way of Saint James.
León Cathedral is especially known for its amazing stained glass windows. Gothic art often tried to make walls seem less solid. This cathedral takes that idea to the extreme. Its walls are mostly made of glass, creating one of the largest collections of medieval stained glass in the world.
Contents
What Makes León Cathedral Special?
León Cathedral, also known as the Pulchra Leonina, is a beautiful example of the Gothic style. Its design is thought to be by an architect named Enrique. Most of the cathedral was finished by the mid-15th century.
Outside the Cathedral
The main front of the cathedral has two tall towers. The one on the south side is called the 'clock tower'. The church has three main entrances, each decorated with sculptures. These are located in the pointed arches between the two towers. In the middle of the main front, there is a large round window called a rose window. You can also see a special statue called the Virgen Blanca (White Virgin).
Inside the Cathedral
The cathedral has almost 1,800 square meters of stained glass windows. Most of these windows are very old, dating from the 13th to the 15th centuries. This is quite rare for medieval Gothic churches.
In the main chapel, there is a beautiful altarpiece (a decorated screen behind the altar) made by Nicolás Francés. You can also find a silver container holding the bones of San Froilán, who is the patron saint of León. The cloister, which is a covered walkway, has many carved details from the 13th to 15th centuries.
The Cathedral Museum
The Cathedral Museum holds a huge collection of sacred art. It has nearly 1,500 items. These include 50 Romanesque statues of the Virgin Mary. The collection covers art from prehistoric times up to the 18th century. You can see works by famous artists like Juan de Juni and Gregorio Fernández. The museum also has a very old Mozarabic bible and many ancient books. The first-ever document written in the Leonese language, called the Nodicia de Kesos, is kept in its archives.
León Cathedral is one of the three most important cathedrals on the Way of Saint James. The other two are Burgos Cathedral and Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.
A Look Back in Time: The Cathedral's History
The site where León Cathedral stands today has a long history.
Earlier Buildings on the Site
Roman Baths
Long ago, the Legio VII Gemina, a Roman army group, built large public baths here. These baths were even bigger than the current cathedral. During a major restoration in the 1800s, parts of these Roman baths were found under the cathedral. More remains were found in 1996 near the south side. Today, you can see some pieces like mosaics and roof tiles in the cathedral museum. Other parts, like the heating system (called a hypocaust), are still under the building.
The First Cathedral
Later, during the Reconquista (the Christian reconquest of Spain), the old Roman baths became a royal palace. King Ordoño II, who became king in 916, won an important battle against the Arabs in 917. To thank God for his victory, he gave his palace to build the first cathedral. This building became a holy place. King Ordoño II, who died in 924, is buried in the cathedral.
Monks from the Order of St. Benedict looked after this church. It was probably built in a style similar to other churches from that time. Towards the end of the 10th century, a leader named Almanzor attacked the city and destroyed many buildings, including the church. However, the cathedral was quickly repaired. In 999, King Alfonso V was crowned there.
By 1067, after many conflicts, the cathedral was in poor condition. King Ferdinand I decided to restore it. He was a successful king who expanded his kingdom.
The Romanesque Cathedral
With help from Princess Urraca of Zamora, King Ferdinand's daughter, a second cathedral was built. This one was in the Romanesque style. During excavations in the late 1800s, parts of this second cathedral's walls were found. It was built with brick and stone. It had three main sections ending in round apses. The central section was dedicated to Saint Mary. A cloister was also added on the north side. This new church was quite large, about 60 meters long. It was officially opened on November 10, 1073. It is believed that the same stonemasons who built the Basilica of San Isidoro also worked on this cathedral.
This Romanesque cathedral stood until the late 12th century. When Alfonso IX became king, the city and kingdom saw big changes in society and art.
Building the Current Gothic Cathedral
The construction of the third and current cathedral began around 1205. However, there were problems with the foundations, so work stopped. It didn't start again until 1255. Under Bishop Martín Fernández and with support from King Alfonso X, this new cathedral was built entirely in the Gothic style.
The main architect was likely Master Enrique, who might have been from France. He had worked on Burgos Cathedral before. He knew a lot about French Gothic architecture. Master Enrique died in 1277, and Juan Pérez took over. By 1302, the main structure of the cathedral was mostly finished. This quick building time means the cathedral has a very unified architectural style.
León Cathedral was inspired by the design of Reims Cathedral in France, though it is smaller. Like many French cathedrals, León Cathedral was built using a special geometric plan. This makes it look very much like a French building, earning it the nickname “the most French of Spanish cathedrals.”
The cathedral's structure, including its chapels and transept (the part that crosses the main body of the church), also shows French influence. However, some parts are unique to León. For example, the cloister is not directly connected to the church in the usual way.
A big challenge for the builders was that the site sat on old Roman remains. Water and moisture caused serious problems for the foundations. Also, most of the stone used was not very strong. The cathedral's delicate design, with its thin supports, made many people wonder if it would even stand up! Because of these issues, the cathedral has needed constant repairs and restorations since the 10th century.
Changes and Restorations Over Time
Many changes and additions were made to the cathedral over the centuries. Sometimes these were to make it more stable, and sometimes to update its look. Starting in the 19th century, major restorations began. The goal was to remove anything that wasn't Gothic and bring the building back to its original style.
In the 15th century, the south tower was completed in the Flamboyant Gothic style. A library, now the Chapel of Santiago, was also built in this style.
In the 16th century, Juan de Badajoz added non-Gothic elements. He built a tall, heavy gable (the triangular part of a wall under a pitched roof) on the western front. He also added a sacristy (a room where sacred vessels are kept) and rebuilt some vaults.
Serious problems began in the 17th century. Part of the largest vault in the crossing fell down in 1631. It was replaced with a baroque dome. This new dome upset the delicate balance of the building. It caused cracks in the southern front, which needed repairs.
In the 18th century, Joaquin de Churriguera tried to make the cathedral more stable by adding four pinnacles (small spires) around the dome. But this caused even more damage. The cathedral was also affected by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The southern front had to be rebuilt extensively.
By 1857, stones started falling from the central part of the church. People feared the whole building might collapse. Matías Laviña began a full restoration in 1859. He took down the central dome and parts of the southern front.
After Laviña died in 1868, Juan de Madrazo took over the restoration. He was an expert in French Gothic style. His goal was to make the cathedral stable and restore its original Gothic look. He used a complex wooden support system to hold the vaults in place while they were rebuilt. When the supports were removed in 1878, the building stood strong. This showed that the original Gothic balance had been restored.
Madrazo's successors continued to remove later additions. They replaced them with new Gothic designs. The beautiful stained glass windows, which had been taken down and stored for years, were restored after 1895. Finally, the cathedral reopened in 1901. It was one of the most complex restoration projects in Europe during the 19th century.
Smaller restoration works happened in the 20th century. On May 27, 1966, a fire caused by lightning burned the rooftop. However, the main structure was not seriously damaged. A big project to restore the stained glass began in 2009.
How Gothic Architecture Works
Gothic architecture uses pointed arches and rib vaults. These features help to focus the weight of the roof onto specific points, not the entire wall. This allows for thinner walls and much larger windows. The old Romanesque tribune (a gallery above the aisles) is no longer needed. Instead, flying buttresses are used. These are arches outside the building that transfer the roof's weight to strong exterior buttresses, which often have pinnacles on top.
The large stained-glass windows are a key part of Gothic design. They connect with people by creating a sense of height and light. This feeling of verticality represents the idea of a heavenly city. Gothic churches usually have an odd number of main sections (three or five).
The main front of a Gothic cathedral typically has three decorated entrances. It also features a gallery of kings, a large rose window (in the central section), and two towers that might be different.
The Cathedral's Layout
The plan of León Cathedral is very similar to Reims Cathedral, but a bit smaller. It is 90 meters long, 30 meters high, and 29 meters wide. From the entrance to the transept, it has three main sections. From the transept to the main altar, it has five sections. The cathedral has a wider-than-usual transept. This gives more space for worshippers, which is important because it's on the Way of Saint James.
The sections of León Cathedral are covered with four-part rib vaults. The transept also has a four-part vault, which replaced a Baroque dome in the 19th century to match the rest of the building. The cathedral has 125 windows with 1,800 square meters of colorful medieval stained glass. These are considered some of the best in the world. Important windows include the large central rose window, those in the Main Chapel, the north transept, and the Chapel of Santiago.
Images for kids
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An example of the many stained-glass windows
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Wide view of the north part of the cathedral
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Main rosette
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Vaulting of the crossing
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Remains of the thermal baths of Legio VII in the crypt of Puerta Obispo
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León Cathedral, west front
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South side
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The cathedral around 1850, with plateresque gables in the façades and the baroque dome and pinnacles in the crossing
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Restoration of the Western façade, approximately 1890
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