After Don returned to Hostal Boccalino with our laundry, MT was feeling better.
So we both went to visit the Cathedral.
3:34 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view from SW.
The Catedral de Santa María de León (Catedral de León) is a unique example of Gothic architecture in Spain: it does not show any traces of Spanish traditions, but is a perfect example of the sophisticated Style Rayonnant (radiant style) developed in northern France around 1230 (also known as French Gothic). The Latin appellation Pulchra Leonina defines the cathedral as beautiful. It was built on the site of previous Roman baths of the 2nd century, built by the Legio VII Gemina. During the Reconquista, the baths were converted into a royal palace in the 10th century. In 916, King Ordoño II of León defeated the Arabs in the Battle of San Felices and, as a sign of his gratitude to God for the victory, donated his palace to be converted into the first cathedral of León. That building was destroyed by the Moor Almanzor in the late 10th century, but was rebuilt immediately, Between 1065 and 1073, it was rebuilt gain, with the support of Ferdinand I of León and Castile. In this case, a Romanesque cathedral was built, albeit with some Gothic influence. The foundations of this construction are still preserved under the present cathedral. In the late 12th century, the bishop decided to build a new cathedral with the support of King Alfonso IX; work on this third cathedral started in 1205 but stopped when only the foundation was finished. In 1253, Bishop Martín Fernandez began building the present church, faithfully following the French model of the time, but with less height. When Bishop Martín Fernandez died in 1289, the apse was already open for worship, and the fundamental structure of the cathedral was completed in 1302. However, the cloister and the north tower were not completed until the 14th century and the south tower in the second half of the 15th century. The cathedral’s upper reaches, built with more stained glass windows than stone, represent Gothic at its best. By the late 16th century, it was virtually finished. It was dedicated to Santa María de la Regla. Because of the unsuitable building plot (over Roman baths with a myriad of hypocaust tunnels), the use of poor quality stone, and the sheer weight if the amount of stained glass used, the building became somewhat unstable. The first repairs are documented in the late 14th century. In the 17th century, parts of the church collapsed and had to be rebuilt, sometimes replacing Gothic parts with the Baroque. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 compounded the woes. Much of the stonework was replaced in the 19th century, requiring removal of whole sections of the building.
León: Catedral – west façade in 1875, prior to its restoration and modification (es.wikipedia.org).
León: Cathedral – Restoration and reconstruction of west façade in progress around 1890 (es.wikipedia.org).
León: Cathedral – design of west façade after (left) and before (right) the 19th-century restoration (es.wikipedia.org).
The current neo-Gothic triangular gable was built in the late 19th century, during the restoration. When the cathedral reopened for worship in 1901, it was no longer a building in danger and had also regained its Gothic splendor.
3:34 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – west façade and towers.
The west façade has a triple arched portico—one door for each if the three naves. Above the portico is a rose window from the late 13th century. The façade is flanked by two Gothic towers of different shape and height (65 and 68 m). The north tower with bells (Torre de las Campanas) was begun in the 13th century and completed in the 14th; the south tower with the clock (Torre del Reloj) was also started in the 13th century but not completed until the 15th. The towers are displaced to the outside, flanking the western gable, rather than being placed at the ends of the aisles. Flying buttresses unite the towers with the central body of the façade.
León: Catedral de Santa María – triple portico of west façade (commons.wikimedia.org).
The triple portico of the west façade consists (from left to right) of
the Puerta de San Juan, the Puerta de la Virgen Blanca (aka Puerta del Juicio
Final [Last Judgment], and the Puerta de San Francisco. On each side of the
Puerta de la Virgen Blanca (aka Puerta el Juicio Final) is a thin lancet arch separating it from the
north and south portals of the triple portico.
León: Cathedral - Lancet with Locus Apellationis (commons.wikimedia.org)
(Cropped).
In front of the lancet on the left, between the Puerta de la
Virgen Blanca and the north door (Puerta de San Juan), is a thin lancet arch.
In front of that is a small pillar called Locus Apellationis. This is a small
marble shaft (125 cm high) coming from the old 10th-century Romanesque
cathedral. The column is engraved on its front with the inscription Locus Apellationis in uppercase
Visigothic letters and the emblems of Castile (castle) and León (lion) just
below the inscription. The fact that these emblems are not engraved as deeply
as the inscription indicates that they may have been added later, conceivable
at the time the present façade was built and the column was placed here. This
column marked the place where the people of León could appeal the decisions
that had been issued.
For several centuries before the
13th, assemblies frequently occurred in the atrium of the cathedral to
celebrate “judgments of appeal or appellate.” The decision of whether to uphold
the original sentence or not was made by a tribunal of four judges, each of
them representing the king, the nobility, the Church (the Canónigo [Canon] of the Cathedral), and the city. Here, councils
also met and contracts were legalized. This series of events specifically
involved this pillar, which served as the rollo
jurisdicional.
The column is accompanied in the
tympanum of the narrow lancet arch above it by a relief effigy of a king with
his scepter, sitting on the chair of Solomon, symbolizing royal justice as a
mirror of God’s righteousness. This justice was administered according to rules
that date back to Visigoth legal code and became part of the Law of León in
1020. In the Puerta de San Juan, there are statues of King David (holding the
scroll of the Law) and Solomon, alluding to this justice that only divinity can
bestow; next to Solomon, in the space that should be occupied by the Queen of
Sheba, is a statue of a woman with the usual symbols of an allegory for the
figure of Justice (scales and sword); on her sword is the Latin inscription
“Justitia est unicuique dare quod suum est” (Justice is to each his own). The
theme of justice is further emphasized by scene of the Last Judgment in the
Puerta del Juicio Final (Puerta de la Virgen Blanca). These Gothic portals
served as a backdrop particularly suitable for dispensation of justice.
3:35 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – main W door, Puerta de la Virgen Blanca.
The main entrance, in the western façade, is the Puerta de la Virgen Blanca (aka Puerta del Juicio Final [Last Judgment]), made around 1270. The Last Judgment in the frieze above the door is chaired by the Judge Christ showing the stigmata of the wounds on his hands, flanked by angels carrying the instruments of his Passion and the Virgin and St. John kneeling. Also depicted, in the lintel, is St. Michael weighing souls, with the blessed (including kings, friars, and angels, one of whom is playing an organ) on the left side, waiting to enter Paradise, and the damned on the right, with demons throwing some condemned sinners into two pots of boiling water and three monstrous heads devouring bodies. The archivolts are decorated with scenes relating to the resurrection of the dead. The statue of Nuestra Señora La Blanca (Our Lady of the Snows or White Virgin) with Child on the mullion is now replaced by a replica (the original is inside).
3:35 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Puerta de la Virgen Blanca (aka Puerta del Juicio Final) - tympanum.
3:35 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – replica of N.S. la Blanca statue on Puerta de la Virgen Blanca.
The north portal of the west façade is the Puerta de San Juan.
The north (left) portal of the west façade, “Puerta de San Juan,” was built between 1275 and 1280. Its tympanum has three levels. representing the cycle of scenes from the life of the Virgin concerning the Nativity: at the bottom are the Visitation, dream on Joseph, the Nativity of Jesus, and Annunciation to the shepherds; in the middle are the Visit of the Magi to Herod, Adoration of the Magi, and the Flight into Egypt; at the top is the Massacre of the Innocents. The archivolts contain an allusion to the Jesse tree, concerning Christ’s genealogy and stories related to the life of San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist), giving the portal its name. In the jambs are images of San Pedro (St. Peter), San Juan (St. John [the Evangelist]), David, and Solomon.
5:24 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – tympanum above Puerta de San Juan.
5:24 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – wood carving on Puerta de San Juan.
5:23 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – tympanum above Puerta de San Francisco.
The south (right) portal on the west façade, “Puerta de San Francisco,” was built between 1275 and 1285. It is dedicated to the Virgin, with the tympanum showing her Dormition surrounded by angels and apostles (at the bottom) and her Coronation seated on a throne next to Christ and surrounded by angels (at the top). The archivolts show various angels and, on the outside, the five wise virgins compared to the five foolish.
5:22 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – wood carvings on left half of door of Puerta de San Francisco (tour entrance) open, from inside.
5:22 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – other half of same door, from outside.
5:26 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – around corner to S side (under repair) with scaffolding and spare part on ground.
The south façade was the area that suffered most construction problems, having been rebuilt several times. In the 17th century, the clerestory was walled up and a Baroque gable was emplaced. In the 18th century, after the earthquake of Lisbon, its rose window was dismantled and replaced by a Baroque double window. Fortunately, the great restoration of the late 19th century built a new rosette, clerestory, and neo-Gothic gable, imitating the north façade, which was never retouched. The south portal also has triple porticos, constructed between 1265 and 1275.
5:25 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María –with spare part on ground near S portal.
León: Cathedral – south façade with left and center doors of triple portico (es.wikidedia.org).
León: Cathedral – south façade (es.wikipedia.org).
The photos of the south façade above show both the left and center doors (or all three) of the triple portico with scaffolding. When we visited on September 8, 2014, the left door was completely covered with scaffolding. Therefore, we cropped one of those photos to show the left door.
León - Cathedral - Puerta de la Muerte (es.wikipedia.org) (Cropped).
The left portico is called “Puerta de la Muerte” [Gate of Death]. It has no decoration on the tympanum, only in the archivolts and jambs. The archivolts are decorated with plant motifs and coats of arms related to the royal family of Castilla y León, reflecting the good relationship between the monarchy and the Church. The Bishop of León was best man at the wedding of Fernando, the son of King Alfonso X. However, Fernando died young in 1275, which is probably why the door would remain unfinished after his death. The name Puerta de la Muerte comes from the figure of a skeleton with wings.
3:37 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – S façade center portico with scaffolding and gate closed due to construction.
The center portico (made between 1265 and 1275) is called “Puerta de Sarmental” because it was inspired by the Sarmental door of the Burgos Cathedral (made between 1230 and 1240). It has the same iconography, linked to the apocalyptic vision of San Juan (St. John), but in a very different style, far from the classic style of Burgos. It represents Christ as Pantocrator, seated with the Book of the Law in his left hand and giving a blessing with this right, and surrounded by the four Evangelists (Tetramorph): the bull (Luke), eagle (John), lion (Mark), and man (Matthew). On each side are seated the evangelists, writing on desks. Angels and elders of the Revelation with musical instruments adorn the archivolts. On the mullion is a statue of San Froilán, patron of the Diocese of León. [Therefore, some sources misidentify this center door as Puerta de San Froilán.]
The Cathedral’s official web site www.catedraldeleon.org labels this door “Portada del Apocalipsis” [Portal of the Apocalypse] with “Parteluz: San Froilán” [Mullion: San Froilán]. The normally reliable www.artehistoria.com also calls it “Portada del Apocalypsis.”
Sarmental in Spanish means a .heap of sarmientos; sarmiento (in English sarment, both from Latin sarmentum) means a vine shoot, tendril, running stem, runner; (in botany) a slender stem or runner that forms a new plant (as of the strawberry).” The Latin sarmentum can mean a (cut-off) twig; (chiefly in plural [sarmenta]) twigs, brushwood. No Internet sources explain why the door in Burgos (or this one) would be called Sarmental.
3:37 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – tympanum above S façade center portico (Cropped).
León: Catedral de Santa María – Puerta de San Froilán (www.flickr.com).
León: Catedral de Santa María – tympanum of Puerta de San Froilán (www.flickriver.com).
The right portal “Puerta de San Froilán” was very important in the Middle Ages because the bishop entered through it from the Episcopal Palace opposite it; it was also used by all pilgrims coming through the gate in the city wall near the cathedral to visit the remains of San Froilán. This portal on the right side is the one that was not renovated in the restoration of the late 19th century. It is currently walled up. It still retains some traces of polychrome.
The tympanum is divided into three levels. At the bottom is a procession of clerics (the transfer of the saint’s relics back to the León Cathedral after the attack by Almanzor in the late 10th century, during which they had been moved to the Monastery of Valdecésar in the Pyrenees for safety), in the middle a bishop lies between angels with censers, while two more angels take his soul to heaven in the upper register. It is very likely to represent the death of San Froilán. The Cathedral’s official web site www.catedraldeleon.org labels this door “Portada del traslado” [Portal of the transfer].
San Froilán (833-905) was a Benedictine monk who evangelized regions liberated from the Muslims and established many monasteries there. In 900, he was appointed bishop of León. He was buried in the Cathedral of León, where his remains are kept in an ark at the main altar.
The Cathedral’s official web site www.catedraldeleon.org also labels the small turret on right corner of the south façade as “Silla de la Reina” [Chair of the Queen]. This torrecilla [small turret] to the right of the gable with the large rose window was built in the 15th century in the first of several attempts to remedy serious architectural flaws in the south façade and south end of the transept, which were in the part of the cathedral most affected by the instability of the foundations. The cathedral was erected in the short time between 1255 and 1302 and over Roman baths. These unsuccessful interventions led to a radical reconstruction and restoration of the south façade in the late 19th century. [Some sources, such as Wikipedia, incorrectly identify the door at the right end of the south façade as “Puerta de San Froilan o de la Reina.”]
León: Catedral de Santa María – Silla de la Reina to right of gable (es.wikipedia.org Cropped).
Then we went inside the Cathedral and bought tickets for the audio tour (entry for jubilados [retired] was 4€ each, versus the normal 5€).
We entered the west end of the nave, where there was a diagram of the Cathedral and a display of statues removed from the west façade.
5:22 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Cathedral diagram near entrance.
Key to callouts in cut-away drawing:
1. Main Façade.
2. Cathedral museum.
3. Rose Windows.
4. Cloister.
5. The choir.
6. Windows.
7. Altarpiece.
8. Main Chapel.
9. Portico.
Planta de Cruz Latina = Floorplan of Latin Cross
Wikipedia
offers a more detailed diagram of the floorplan.
León: Catedral de Santa María – a
more detailed Cathedral floorplan with all the parts labeled (es.wikipedia.org).
Key to Callouts in Wikipedia Diagram:
1. Pórtico de Nuersta Señora La
Blanca [Door of Our Lady of the Snows (White Virgin)].
2. Pórtico de San Juan [Door of
St. John].
3. Pórtico de San Francisco [Door
of St. Francis].
4. Capilla de San Juan [Chapel of
St. John (under Torre de las Campanas].
5. Deambulatorio o girola
[Ambulatory].
6. Coro [Choir].
6A. Trascoro [Retrochoir].
7. Altar Mayor y Retablo [Main
altar and Altarpiece].
8. Puerta de Nuestra Señora del
Dado [Door of Our Lady of the Die (Dice)].
8A Vestibula del Claustro
[Cloister Vestibule].
9. Capilla de Santa Teresa
[Chapel of St. Theresa].
10. Claustro [Cloister].
11. Capilla de San Nicolás
[Chapel of St. Nicholas (Museum)].
12. Capilla del Conde de
Rebolledo Chapel of the Count of Rebolledo].
13. Capilla de San Andrés [Chapel
of St. Andrew].
14. Capilla de Santiago o de la
Virgen del Camino [Chapel of Santiago or of the Virgin of the Camino].
15. Capilla de Nuestra Señora del
Dado [Chapel of Our Lady of the Die (Dice)].
16. Capilla del Tránsito [Chapel
of Transit].
17. Capilla del Nacimiento
[Chapel of the Nativity].
18. Capilla de la Concepción
[Chapel of the Conception].
19. Capilla de la Virgen Blanca
[Chapel of the white Virgin (Our Lady of the Snows)].
20. Capilla de la Consolación
[Chapel of Consolation].
20A Presacristía o Capilla de
Acceso a la Sacristía [Chapel of Access to the Sacristy].
21. Capilla del Cristo [Chapel of
Christ].
22. Capilla del Carmen [Chapel of
Carmen].
23. Capilla de San Francisco [Chapel
of St. Francis (under Torre del Reloj)].
24. Puerta de la Muerte [Door of
Death].
25. Puerta del Sarmental [Door of
Sarmental].
26. Puerta de San Froilán o de la
Reina [Door of San Froilán or of the Queen (sic!)].
4:48 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – sign for “Las Esculturas del Portico Occidental” [Sculptures from the West Portico] at rear of nave.
Sculptures from the West Portico. The statues were removed in 2009 because of their deteriorated condition; most of them are stored in the cloister.
4:48 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – three statues from W portico, at rear of central nave.
The audio tour began at the rear (west end) of the central nave.
León: Catedral de Santa María – central nave from rear toward apse (commons.wikimedia.org).
The cathedral has three naves and a transept. The naves are 90 m long; the central nave is 30 m high, while the two side naves are 15 m high.
León: Catedral de Santa María – central nave toward apse (more light) (commons.wikimedia.org).
From the west end of the nave, there is a good view of many of the famous stained glass windows of medieval origin.
Stained Glass Windows. The cathedral walls have 125 window openings (huecos) filled with 737 windows (vidrieras) covering 1,800 square meters. Most windows are preserved in the original, made between the 13th and 16th centuries, but some as late as the 19th and 20th centuries. They are perhaps the most important in the world along with the Cathedral of Chartres. They are similar to those French windows but more colorful, since they add shades of green, ocher, and yellow to the usual blue and red, making this a cathedral of light.
The windows in the nave are arranged in three levels. The high windows or clerestory of the north and south sides depict different themes. The windows on the north side, which receive less light, have more cold tones, and the theme of the Old Testament emphasizes that they have not yet known the light of Christ. The highest windows on the north side of the nave, mostly above the choir, have bright shades of blue. Those of the south side are brighter, representing the New Testament, and have warmer colors.
4:46 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – south side windows near entrance (right rear).
4:46 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – stained glass window on S side near entrance (lower left window in preceding photo).
León: Catedral de Santa María – vaulted ceiling with stained glass windows of upper S side and rose window of W façade (www.flickr.com).
4:44 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – 3 levels of stained glass windows on N side between W façade and choir.
4:44 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – stained glass window on N side near entrance – bottom left window from preceding photo 1325 (telephoto, 53 mm).
5:26 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – stained glass window on N side near entrance – bottom right window from preceding photo (telephoto, 66 mm).
4:47 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de San Juan (left), N side windows, trascoro (right) with MT looking into choir.
The choir is one of the oldest in Spain, carved by Flemish artists in the 15th century. According to foreign custom (the French model), it was originally located in the apse, in front of the main altar. In 1746, it was finally moved to the center of the nave.
The gilded Renaissance trascoro (1577) in the Plateresque style was conceived as a triumphal arch. In 1915, the large central arch was opened, which recovered in part the old perspective of the central nave and the view of the main altar. The trascoro has four large alabaster relief panels (two on each side of the gate) alluding to the life of the Virgin: the Nativity of Mary, the Annunciation, the Nativity of Christ, and the Adoration of the Magi. Above that are four images: St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Marcellus, and St. Isidore. In the niche above the arch, from the front, is the Assumption of Mary and, facing the altar, St. Froilán.
Architecturally, the choir (coro in Spanish) is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and choir. The choir area is occupied by sometimes finely carved and decorated wooden benches or individual seats known as choir stalls, where the clergy sit, stand, or kneel during services. Historically, the word choir is derived from the corona, the circle of clergy or singers who surrounded the altar. The location of the choir in the church is not the same everywhere. When choirs first appeared, they were in the center of the nave, attached to the platform (presbytery or chancel) on which seats for the higher clergy and the lectern for scripture readings were located Gradually the choir moved eastward, along with that platform, toward the apse of the church. It is usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary (which houses the altar and tabernacle). In some churches, the choir is arranged in the apse, behind the main altar. The choir is occasionally located in the western part of the nave, usually when geographical conditions did not permit an altar facing the east. Traditionally, Hispanic architecture usually placed it in the center of the nave; this makes the choir the first vertical central element visible after entering the interior of the church from its main façade or foot, which was the reason to give it an especially high level of decorative treatment.
In ecclesiastical architecture, the trascoro is the Spanish term for a space at the back of the main choir or behind the main altar in a large church or cathedral. It is one part of the enclosed space for the clergy and altar-ministers, when that space is divided. It is a structure or wall, generally ornamented, that separates the part of a church in back of (trasera in Spanish) the choir. When the choir is in the apse, it is the space behind the high altar, which often separates the choir from the end chapel; it may contain a small altar standing back-to-back with the main altar. When the choir is in the center or western part of the nave, it separates the choir from the rest of the nave. It may be a part of the choir separated from the main choir by an open passage at the crossing. The English translation of trascoro (in Spanish, French, or Portuguese) is retrochoir or back-choir.
4:44 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – trascoro with (closed) glass gate to choir, from near entrance; stained glass to left and right.
León: Catedral de Santa María – trascoro relief of Natividad de María (Nativity of Mary) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulayjesus/5020591816/).
León: Catedral de Santa María – trascoro relief of Anunciación (Annunciation) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulayjesus/5029774884/).
León: Catedral de Santa María – trascoro relief of Natividad de Cristo (Nativity of Christ) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulayjesus/5029766872/).
León: Catedral de Santa María – trascoro relief of Adoración de los Magi (Adoration of the Magi) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulayjesus/5029770830/).
4:45 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – trascoro gate to choir (close up); the rose window is actually the W rose reflected in the glass of the gate (against the dark background of the vaulted ceiling of the apse); below it are the actual windows of the apse, over the main altarpiece.
From the transept, there was a good view back to the rose window of the west façade.
León: Catedral de Santa María – W rose window and S and N clerestory windows (www.flickr.com).
The great western rose window was carried out at the end of the 13th century and was restored at the end of the 19th. At its center is the Virgin with Child, surrounded by 12 angels, in turn succeeded by ornamental motifs.
4:49 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – western rose window.
The audio tour proceeded around the south (right) side of the nave.
Near the east end of the choir, when turning to the right into the south transept toward the Puerta de la Muerte, there was a west-facing wall with a nice stained glass window over the tomb of Bishop Martín Fernández.
4:52 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – stained glass window and tomb of Bishop Martín Fernández on west-facing wall near Puerta de la Muerte.
4:52 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – stained glass window on west-facing wall of S transept (window on right was in shade of the tower at the S end of the W façade).
The tomb of Bishop Martín Fernández (d. 1289), the proponent for building the present cathedral, is in the south transept. Under triple pointed arches are several reliefs that, despite erosion, show scenes from the life of St. Martin of Tours (left) and the Passion of Christ (flagellation in center and crucifixion at right). This tomb is thought to have been made by the same master as the Virgen Blanca.
4:53 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – tomb of Bishop Martín Fernández in west-facing wall in S transept near Puerta de la Muerte.
Then, we came to the crossing (the junction of the four arms of a cross-shaped church, where the transepts cross the nave). To the left of the crossing was the north rose above the Puerta de Nuestra Señora del Dado, which led to the cloister.
The rose window of the north side is of the same period (13th century) as the west rose, but with additions of the 15th century. Christ in the center is surrounded by 12 rays of light, in turn surrounded by 12 musicians.
4:54 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – N portal and rose window from transept crossing (entrance to choir on left).
To the right of the crossing was the south rose window above the Puerta del Sarmental.
The rose window of the south side was performed in its entirety at the end of the 19th century, due to the loss of the original during façade changes. It is a copy of the thematic motifs of the north side, this time with the Virgin presiding over the center surrounded by rays of light and musicians.
4:53 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – S portal and rose window from transept crossing (entrance to choir on right).
From the transept crossing, we turned back into the choir.
The choir, constructed between 1467 and 1481, was originally before the high altar but was moved to the center of the nave in 1746. The walnut choir stalls (sillería del coro) in Gothic style are among the oldest in Spain.
4:54 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view of choir from open (E) end toward glass gate to W; organ above choir stalls; San Froilán in niche above gate.
4:57 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – choir stalls on south side with carvings of “Ysaias” [Isaiah], “Ivdita” [Judith] cutting of head of Holofernes, and “Regina de Saba” [Queen of Sheba].
4:55 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – choir stall with carving of “Moyses” [Moses].
5:16 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – carvings [of resurrection?] on end of choir stalls (or was this the opened door of the trascoro gate?) near inside of trascoro glass door.
Exiting the choir, we faced the east part of the nave toward the apse and main altar.
The apse is the oldest part of the cathedral, because worship was performed there even before the completion of the church.
4:57 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – apse with main altar, from transept crossing near choir.
The Gothic altarpiece of the main altar is from the mid-15th century. In 1740, a Baroque altarpiece was installed, but during the restoration of the 19th century, it was decided to remove it, because its Baroque style contrasted with the purity of Gothic lines; instead, it was replaced by the painted altarpiece by Nicolás Francés from the first third of the 15th century. Of the original 16 large panels and dozens of smaller ones, the restorers were able to recover only the 5 large ones that make up the altarpiece today. Of those five panels, three relate to the life of San Froilán (patron of León), and the other two represent the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple (lower right) and (at the top of the altarpiece) the transfer of the body of St. James from Iria Flavia to Compostela. The casket of San Froilán is displayed below the altar. The main altar is enclosed by a Plateresque fence.
4:58 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – main altar (telephoto, 46 mm).
The audio tour continued around the right (south) side, past the south transept.
4:52 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view down right (S) aisle toward ambulatory from S transept near choir.
Before entering the semicircular ambulatory, around the back of the main altar, there are two important chapels: Capilla del Carmen and Capilla del Santo Cristo.
4:59 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María –altar of Capilla del Carmen.
In the south aisle, just after the crossing and just before reaching the ambulatory, is the Capilla del Carmen, which has an 18th-century altarpiece with images of St. Joseph (center), St. Alfonso, María de Liguori, St. Benedict, and St. Michael.
However, the most interesting feature of this chapel is the 13th-century tomb of Bishop Rodrigo Álvarez (Bishop of León 1209-1232). In the church and its cloister are many tombs, some from the old Romanesque cathedral and therefore prior to the current building. This one, the best conserved tomb in the Cathedral, features the recumbent bishop and a façade with scenes from his works of mercy (on the front of the sarcophagus, the servants of the deceased distribute bread to a group of poor), funeral liturgy (surrounded by priests who officiate the funeral and a group of people who cry), and the crucifixion of Christ (in the tympanum). [Photos of this tomb are sometimes misidentified as being of the similar tomb of Bishop Martín Rodríguez el Zamorano (see photo 1367), which is patterned on this one, but not as well preserved.]
5:00 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla del Carmen: baptismal font and paschal candle (with altar at right; tomb of Bishop Rodrigo Álvarez at left).
5:00 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla del Carmen: tomb of Bishop Rodrigo Álvarez.
Also before the ambulatory is the Capilla del Santo Cristo (aka Capilla del Cristo, Chapel of Christ), centered around a polychromed and gilded wood Renaissance altarpiece “Retablo del Santo Cristo,” made between 1524 and 1527. In the central niche is a crucifixion scene called “sintético,” that is, Jesus dying on the cross, accompanied by the “Virgen Dolorosa” [Virgin of Sorrows] and San Juan Evangelista [St. John the Evangelist]. On the sides are the four evangelists with their corresponding symbols: Matthew and the angel; Mark and the lion; St. John and the eagle; Luke and the bull.
5:05 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla del Santo Cristo –altar with crucifixion.
A large ambulatory around the back of the high altar contains five chapels, each with a double stained glass window: the Presacristía, the Capilla de la Consolación, Capilla de la Virgen Blanca, Capilla de la Concepción, and Capilla del Nacimiento. Also in the ambulatory, directly behind the main altar, is the tomb of King Ordoño II.
Entering the ambulatory from the south side, is the Presacristía or Chapel of Access to the Sacristy.
The Presacristía or Chapel of Access to the Sacristy is empty and serves as a passage to the sacristy. It was dedicated in 1250 to San Clemente and Santiago.
5:03 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view from ambulatory into Chapel of Access to the Sacristy; door to sacristy on far side).
Across the ambulatory from the Presacristía is the Puerta del Cardo.
The Puerta del Cardo [Door of the Thistle] is an iron gate leading to the main altar (the audio tour said this was for entering the altar area from the sacristy).
5:00 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Puerta del Cardo across from Presacristía.
5:02 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view, through iron gate of Puerta del Cardo, across main altar to N side of nave with stained glass.
Just past the Presacristía, as the ambulatory went around behind the main altar was the Capilla de la Consolación. [No photos taken.]
The Capilla de la Consolación (Chapel of Consolation) has 16th-century murals.
Directly behind the main altar, opposite the Capilla de la Virgen Blanca, is the Tomb of King Ordoño II de León.
León: Catedral de Santa María – Tomb of King Ordoño II de León from side (commons.wikimedia.org).
Tomb of King Ordoño II de León (ca. 871-924). During the Christian reconquest, the ancient Roman baths on the site of the present cathedral were converted into a Royal Palace. In 916, King Ordoño II defeated the Arabs in the Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz and, in gratitude to God for the victory, gave up his palace to build the first cathedral. That simple cathedral was soon enriched with the remains of Ordoño II, who died in 924. The recumbent figure is 13th century, contemporary with the Cathedral, as is the tympanum representing the Crucifixion and the Descent from the Cross in the lower part, and Christ accompanied by angels and prophets in the upper part. The recumbent bishop looks serene and in the wrong stance because its features seem more typical of an upright figure. Subsequently, the décor was expanded in the 15th century in Flemish style.
León: Catedral de Santa María – tympanum of Tomb of King Ordoño II de León showing polychrome (commons.wikimedia.org).
Across from the tomb of King Ordoño II was the Capilla de la Virgen.
The Capilla de la Virgen Blanca (Chapel of the White Virgin) is the oldest chapel of the cathedral, originally Capilla del Salvador (Chapel of the Savior). Since 1954, however, it has been presided over by the original 13th-century image of “Nuestra Señora La Virgen Blanca” that once occupied the mullion of the main gate of judgment (Puerta del Juicio) of the west portal, where it was replaced by a good copy. It is probably the most classical sculpture of León Gothic, free of all French influence. The Virgin stands, stepping on the dragon, a reference to her Immaculate Conception. This chapel also contains several tombs from the 13th to 15th centuries and two murals with themes of piety and Ecce Homo.
5:04 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Chapel of the Virgen Blanca.
Next we came to the Capilla de la Concepción.
5:06 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de la Concepción with statue of the Virgen de la Esperanza.
The Capilla de la Concepción (Chapel of the Conception) is presided over by a Gothic statue of the Virgen de la Esperanza [Virgin of Hope or Pregnant Virgin]. This statue was originally part of a group with the archangel Gabriel, representing the Annunciation. The statue of the Virgin was carved in stone in the late 13th or 14th century; its polychrome was added later. It represents the apocalyptic Virgin with the Child Jesus in her womb, pursued by the dragon. It was quite common to represent her thus at the moment of the Annunciation, also pregnant, as is the case here. In the windows are scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary. The chapel also has Hispano-Flemish panels.
5:01 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – statue of Virgen de la Esperanza (close up).
At the far (north) end of the ambulatory was the Capilla del Nacimiento.
5:07 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – model of Nativity in Capilla del Nacimiento (Chapel of the Nativity).
The Capilla del Nacimiento (Chapel of the Nativity) has a small altar and a model of the Nativity, in 15th-century Flemish Gothic style.
From there, we returned toward the back of the nave via the north aisle. Immediately, where the ambulatory joins the north aisle, we encountered the Capilla del Tránsito (Chapel of Transit) off to the right with a door leading into the Capilla de Santiago, where we would later attend mass but had to enter though the cloister.
5:08 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view through glass door of Capilla del Tránsito into Capilla de Santiago (off cloister) where we later went to mass; visible is the pieta (Virgen del Camino) on the main altar of that chapel.
5:09 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view from N aisle back over main altar to S side windows.
5:10 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view from N end of crossing, back down N side aisle toward ambulatory.
In the left wall of the north transept near entrance to cloister is the tomb of Bishop Martín Rodríguez el Zamorano.
5:11 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – tomb of Bishop Martín Rodríguez el Zamorano.
The tomb of Bishop Martín Rodríguez el Zamorano (d. 1242), bishop of Zamora, is patterned after that of Bishop Rodrigo (in Capilla del Carmen off the south aisle), with the same iconography. The level of expression and detail of the faces is exceptional, although unfortunately the crucifixion scene at the top is mostly lost by corrosion of the stone, preserving only the figure of St. John.
4:44 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – 3 levels of stained glass windows on W end of N side; Capilla de San Juan at left, behind wooden enclosure inside N door (Puerta de San Juan) of W façade.
At the northwest end of the nave, we came to an arch that led off to the north into the Capilla de San Juan de Regla.
5:11 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – altarpiece of Capilla de San Juan de Regla off NW end of nave.
In the lower body of the north tower, is the Capilla de San Juan de Regla (Chapel of St. John of the Rule), known as "the Cathedral parish.” On its walls are two tombstones with inscriptions alluding to the rectors of the same, which was already open for worship in the year 1274 (the rest of the cathedral was not finished until 1302). The altarpiece is churrigueresco [Spanish Baroque], with paintings representing the life of John the Baptist; it also has paintings of St. John the Evangelist and the Assumption of the Virgin.
(The parish of San Juan de Regla remained here until 1968, when this became the Cathedral Museum at that time. Because of this change, the parish was awarded the Capilla de San Nicolás, also in the Cathedral. When that chapel, in turn, became the Museum, the parish moved to several other temporary locations in the city until a new church was built in 2010.)
We finished the audio tour, shortly after 5 pm, and we would stay for the 6 pm mass in the chapel off the cloister. When we arrived back at the west end of the nave, MT wanted to stay longer in the cathedral proper, while Don decided to visit the cloister and the chapel where we would attend mass. Don made sure not to try to go out the door of Puerta de San Juan in the northwest corner, where he had been temporarily “trapped” last year between the inner wooden door and the locked outer door.
The cloister was built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This covered the cathedral’s north entrance. The complicated and highly decorated vaults were made in the 16th century. Phylacteries and medallions present a complex iconographic program linked to the Virgen de Regla. Under the vaults are a collection of tombs, mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries. Around the south and east side walls of the cloister is a collection of 23 Gothic statues of Apostles and Old Testament figures removed from the cathedral’s main (west) portal around 2009. In the center of the cloister courtyard are various parts of the west and south gables, which were removed during 19th-century restorations by architects “purifying” the cathedral.
5:27 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – outside of west wall of cloister with entrance to “Museo Claustro Culto” (museum, cloister, and worship).
5:50 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – S aisle of cloister from SW corner near cloister entrance.
5:28 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – S aisle of cloister – statues between entrance and chapel (Virgen de la Consolación in niche at far end, in SE corner).
5:41 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – cloister S aisle vaulted ceiling near chapel entrance.
For the 6 pm mass, we would enter through the Portada del Claustro in the south aisle.
León: Catedral de Santa María – Portada del Claustro (www.flickr.com).
The Portada del Claustro is a Gothic portal that was later renovated with Renaissance details.
5:29 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – relief carving of Santiago Matamoros on walnut door into chapel from cloister (Portada del Claustro).
Turning right off the cloister and passing through the Portada del Claustro, one enters the Vestibulo del Claustro (Vestibule of the Cloister), with the Capilla de Santa Teresa to the right and the entrance to the Capilla de San Andrés on the left (and through it to the Capilla de Santiago, where we would attend mass); straight ahead across the vestibule is the Portada de la Virgen del Dado (leading from the north aisle of the cathedral).
5:30 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Portda de la Virgen del Dado, with statue of Virgen del Dado on mullion.
Originally, the north façade had a triple portico, as on the west and south sides, but the left one disappeared when the cloister was built, and the right was used for entrance and exit of the cloister. The central portal, called “Portada de la Virgen del Dado” [Virgin of the Die or Dice], was constructed in the last decade of the 13th century and still retains most of its polychrome, dating from the 15th century, because it has been inside the cathedral building. In the tympanum, Christ blesses from the mystical almond (mandorla) held by angels, flanked by the four evangelists. Paul, Peter, James, and Matthew (on the left) and the Annunciation (on the right) appear in the jambs.
The sculpture of the Virgen del Dado [Virgin of the Die or Dice] on the mullion gets its name from the legend about a soldier who, after having bad luck at dice, came upon the statue of the Virgin and Child at the north wall of the cathedral. In a fit of pique, he threw the dice at the statue, hitting the face of the Child, which miraculously bled. The soldier begged forgiveness and became a Franciscan monk. The council of the Cathedral, fearing that this might happen again, decided to bring the statue into the cathedral.
5:32 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – statues to left of Portada del Claustro in S aisle of cloister; “Patriarca Zacarías” [Patriarch Zacharias] (made 1280-1290) in right foreground (diagram shows its original position on the west portal, on left of right door, 1st of 3 from left); next is “San Mateo” [St. Matthew].
5:32 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – statue of San Juan Bautista [St. John the Baptist] (ca. 1450-1458) on S side of cloister.
5:33 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María –– sign for statue of “San Juan Bautista (hacia [circa] 1450-1458)”; (diagram shows its original position, on left of right door, 2nd of 3 from left).
At the end of the south aisle, in a niche in the east wall of the cloister is the statue of the Virgen de la Consolación.
The Gothic statue of the Virgen de la Consolación dates from the second half of the 13th century. Experts believe it was made by the same master as the famous Virgen Blanca. Because it became blackened over time, it was sometimes called “la gemela mala de la Virgen” [the evil twin of the Virgin]. This image previously had its own altar in the apse of the church, in the chapel dedicated today to San Antonio de Padua. However, it was later relegated to this niche, where it was subjected to the cold cloister weather and accumulated layers of dirt.
Ending in July 2014, it underwent a process that lasted two and a half months to restore its polychrome, which had been blackened over time by dirt and other particles, with no colors visible. The process was based on selective laser cleaning and conservation of the original, without any added color. The niche, from the 15th century, was restored using the same methods.
5:33 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – statue of Virgen de la Consolacion, behind glass (to preserve the polychrome), in SE corner of cloister; the vault of the S aisle of the cloister is reflected in the glass.
5:34 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – sign for “Virgen de la Consolacion de la S.I. Catedral de Leon: Conservación de escultura policromada” [Virgin of the Consolation of the S. I. Cathedral of León: Restoration of the Polychromed Sculpture]; photo shows the statue before restoration.
5:34 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – E aisle of cloister with more statues (San Pedro Apóstol [St. Peter the Apostle] in right foreground).
5:34 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – statue of “Santiago el Mayor” [St. James the Greater] (ca. 1280-1290) in E aisle of cloister.
5:35 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – sign for “Santiago el Mayor” [St. James the Greater] (hastia [ca.] 1280-1290)”; (diagram shows its original position on left of center door, 2nd of 3 from left).
5:35 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – statue of “Santiago el Menor” [St. James the Lesser] (ca. 1280-1290) in E aisle of cloister.
5:35 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – sign for statue of “Santiago el Menor [St. James the Lesser] (hastia [ca.] 1280-1290)”; (diagram shows its original position in lancet between left and center doors).
5:36 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – older statue of “San Juan Bautista” [St. John the Baptist] (ca. 1280-1290) on E side of cloister, near NE corner.
5:36 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – sign for “San Juan Bautista [St. John the Baptist] (hastia [ca.] 1280-1290)”; (diagram shows its original position on left of left door, 2nd of 3 from left).
From the north aisle of the cloister, we had a clear view of the north façade.
The north façade, with another 13th-century rose window, is surrounded by the cloister. The cathedral was designed without a cloister, but one was added in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, covering the north entrance. In the center of the courtyard are various parts of remains of the west and south gables, which were removed during restorations by 19th-century architects “purifying” the cathedral.
5:36 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – N façade and removed pinnacle in cloister courtyard (taken from N aisle of cloister).
5:40 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – same removed pinnacle (taken from SW corner of cloister, with N aisle in background).
5:40 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – removed rose window frame in cloister courtyard (taken from S aisle).
5:38 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – another removed pinnacle in cloister courtyard (taken from S aisle, with N aisle in background).
Along wall of the west aisle of the cloister, there were several tombs.
5:37 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – carving of Annunciation on W wall of cloister.
In this carving of the Annunciation, the Virgin is pregnant; between her and St. Gabriel is a vase with lilies of Marian purity.
Also in the west aisle of the cloister is the tomb of Canónigo [Canon] Gil Nicolás.
5:39 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – crucifixion in tympanum over tomb of Canónigo [Canon] Gil.
The tomb of Canónigo [Canon] Gil Nicolás (d. 1274) has a scene of the Crucifixion in tympanum over the tomb.
Over another tomb on the west wall, just to the left of the tomb of Canónigo Gil, with a tympanum with a scene of Christ in His Glory.
5:39 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Christ in Glory over tomb on W wall of cloister (to left of tomb of Gil Nicolás).
Also on the west wall of the cloister was an interesting capital of a battle scene, which seemed much more primitive than other sculptures in the cloister.
5:43 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – battle scene on capital on W side of cloister (2 men with shields and clubs seem to have attacked a man who is falling from his horse).
5:50 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – view of W aisle of cloister, toward N; old door to Capilla de San Nicolás at far end.
At 6 pm, we went to mass in the Capilla de Santiago (aka Capilla del Santisimo).
The Capilla de Santiago (aka Capilla de la Virgen del Camino) was built between 1492 and 1505 in the Hispano-Flemish style. Originally, there was a large rectangular room outside the floorplan of the church that was built as a library dedicated to the Cabildo (Cathedral Chapter, a college of priests). The stained glass windows in this chapel are among the oldest preserved in the cathedral.
[What Wikipedia calls Capilla de Santiago (or Capilla de la Virgen del Camino), the Cathedral of León website calls Capilla de la Virgen del Camino in its floorplan diagram, but the detailed description there says it is the Capilla del Santisimo (Blessed Sacrament Chapel), which is popularly known as Capilla de la Virgen del Camino. Diagrams on both websites show access to this north-south chapel only by entering from the cloister and going through the east-west Capilla de San Andrés, then turning left (northward) into this chapel. Neither diagram shows a “Capilla del Santisimo”; however, the mass schedule at the “Culto” (Worship) tab on the Cathedral website says masses, including the 6 pm evening mass we attended, are in the Capilla del Santisimo, accessed through the cloister. (Perhaps the chapels of San Andrés and Santiago/Virgen del Camino together are known as Capilla del Santisimo?)]
5:31 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de Santiago/Virgen del Camino – view from rear to altar.
6:26 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de Santiago/Virgen del Camino – 3 pillars over altar with statues: a young-looking San Roque at left (with leg wound and dog), Santiago Apóstol in center, and San Martín de Tours on right (telephoto, 76 mm).
6:27 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de Santiago/Virgen del Camino – pieta “Virgen del Camino” on altar (telephoto, 76 mm).
The Virgen del Camino is a Marian devotion in Spain. According to legend, the Virgin appeared to a shepherd in 1505 on the site where the Basilica now stands in the town of Virgen del Camino west of León. She was made the patron of the Kingdom of León from 1738 and has been the patron of the region of León since 1914.
León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de Santiago/Virgen del Camino – statues above top of altar, vaulted ceiling, and stained glass windows (commons.wikimedia.org).
6:27 PM – León: Catedral de Santa María – Capilla de Santiago/Virgen del Camino – view from rear of chapel nave back through glass doors through Capilla del Tránsito into main body of Cathedral, across N aisle and main altar, with windows above Capilla del Cristo in S aisle in distance.
After mass, we returned to Hostal Boccalino and sat outside their bar for a while. Back in our room, we watched a quiz show on TV. Then we went to the half-board dinner at the Boccalino restaurant (across the square) and got the menu (probably the menú del día worth 12€ each): 1st course: both had tomato and cheese salad; 2nd course: MT had lenguada (sole), not much on bones, with boiled potatoes and salad/ Don pimientos rellenos [stuffed peppers (with bacalao)]; dessert: both had ice cream (MT vanilla/Don fresas [strawberry]).
9:42 PM – León: Plaza de San Isidoro with Basilica de San Isidoro illuminated (view from outdoor table in front of hostal’s bar).
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