León

The history of Saint Mary’s Cathedral’s starts in the 10th century. King of León Ordoño II’s royal palace lay on the old terms and public buildings built by the Roman VII Legion (Legio VII) in the mid 2nd century. In the year 917, after vanquishing the Arabs in the battle of San Esteban de Gormaz, the king gave up his residence to show his “gratitude to God”, and letting the first Cathedral be erected in there. Guarded by the Saint Benedict monks, the temple’s structure was very similar to other Leonese Mozarab buildings. Upon his death in 924, King Ordoño II was buried there.
Princess Urraca, Fernando I’s sister, began the construction of a new building, closer to the aspirations of Romaesque Cristianity. It was consecrated on November, 10th 1073. It was made of brick and masonry, with three naves completed with semicircular apses. This cathedral stood until the end of the following century, when the last king of León accessed the throne, Alfonso IX. From then on, the city and the kingdom underwent an important social and cultural shift that resulted in the construction of the current building.
León’s catedral is widely known for its 130 church windows and three rose windows.
The late Gothic choir inside the temple is also remarkable (15th century), built in walnut wood by Jusquin van Utrech, Copin de Holanda and Juan de Malinas. The altarpiece from the Main Altar keeps five boards with scenes about the Virgin Mary and San Froilán. In the ambulatory there lies the tomb of the only king buried in the Leonese cathedral, Ordoño II.Read more