Spain Guide
Castilla y León and La Rioja
Catedral
Opening time: Cathedral & cloisters July– Sept: Mon– Sat 8.30am–1.30pm & 4–8pm, Sun 8.30am–2.30pm & 5–8pm; Oct– June until 7pm. Museum Mon– Sat 9.30am–1.30pm & 4–7pm, closed Sat pm Oct– May
Price: Cathedral free; cloisters €1; museum €4
Website: www.catedraldeleon.org
All eyes are drawn to León's mighty Gothic Catedral, which dates from the final years of the city's period of greatness. Its stained-glass windows in particular (thirteenth century and onwards) are equal to the masterpieces in any European cathedral – a stunning kaleidoscope of light streaming in through soaring walls of multicoloured glass. While such extensive use of glass is purely French in inspiration, the colours used here – reds, golds and yellows – are essentially Spanish. The glass screen added to the otherwise obscuring coro gives a clear view up to the altar, and only enhances the sensation of all-pervasive light with its bewildering refractions.
To see the rest of the cathedral – basically, the cloisters, carved choir stalls and museum treasures. With the full-on visit to the Museo Catedralicio Diocesano, you get a guided tour of the whole complex (in Spanish), though it does tend to go on a bit. It also includes the climb to the platform erected above the central nave, for a closer look at the stained glass, though this is something you can do separately anyway from the entrance around the side of the cathedral (Plataforma; visits on the half-hour during opening times, closed Mon & Sun; €2).
Take a moment outside to appreciate the magnificent triple-arched west facade (on Plaza Regia), dominated by a massive rose window and comprising two towers and a detached nave supported by flying buttresses – a pattern repeated at the south angle. Above the central doorway, the Last Judgement is in full swing, with the cooking pots of Hell doing a roaring trade in boiled sinners.