Walking the Camino de Santiago
Choir and clergy sit in a great stone enclosure in the middle of the cathedral nave. Through this imposing structure, you can see the high altar with its reredos resplendent in gold. The artistry of the enclosure and the sheer volume of its carvings, both within and without, is a little overwhelming. Date: 19 April 2016 Place: León (Castilla y […]
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Because of the central choir structure in the Cathedral, it’s impossible to get a photo will more than a small number of the stained-glass windows. Many of them are from the 13th and 14th century, though some have been added or replaced in every century since. They illuminate the interior in a warm glow that is designed to vary by […]
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In a side chapel in León Cathedral, we find these beautiful paintings of (I believe) Saint Cecilia and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Cathedral interior is architecturally pure Gothic, but in the various chapels you will see progressively more modern pieces as generation after generation of artists laboured to fill in the gaps. There are also some older Romanesque pieces […]
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Throughout the churches and cathedrals of Spain, many eminent churchmen and lay people are entombed within the buildings. León Cathedral is no exception. Here is the crumbling remains of a bishop’s sarcophagus, soberly reminding us of our imminent death and that even our works and memorials are doomed to crumble to dust. Date: 19 April 2016 Place: León (Castilla y […]
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And here’s the door through which we actually entered the cathedral. Sorry for the bit of blur. The arch depicts Christ on His heavenly throne, while angels crown His blessed mother Queen of Heaven. Note again the absence of statues in the niches flanking the door. Have I mentioned that I like doors? Date: 19 April 2016 Place: León (Castilla […]
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Sometimes it’s difficult to get a sense of scale from a photo of a door, such as León cathedral’s central door that I posted yesterday. So here’s another one of the doors. This one has a human-sized door cut into the main door. So now you can better tell how big this really is. The images over this door include […]
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Like many grand churches, León Cathedral has three front doors. This is the center one, featuring a smiling statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ child. The carving above the door features Christ on His heavenly throne at the Judgment, flanked by angels and saints. Just below, you can see some of the judged enter paradise, while others […]
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When I first visited León in 2013, my tour of the Cathedral was cut short. And Francine never got to see it at all. We were determined that we would visit it first – three years to the day later. Most Gothic cathedrals took centuries to complete. As a result of different architects (and bishops!) over the course of that […]
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The city center of León is filled with fun and whimsical shops. Here is the first of what will be a number of examples. This is Gnomos. They sell nothing but gnomes – and hats. It immediately made me think of my friend Adam, for reasons best left vague. Like most shops in Spain in my experience, they don’t open […]
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In the pre-dawn hours of April 19, 2016, Francine and I took the train from Sahagún to León. It was basically a commuter trip. Once we got into the city, we checked into the Albergue de Peregrinos San Francisco de Asís en León, a former Capuchin monastery, where we got a room. Sort of a tiny suite, actually. Then we […]
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