Catedral

León’s 13th-century cathedral, with its soaring towers, flying buttresses and truly breathtaking interior, is the city’s spiritual heart. Whether spotlit by night or bathed in the glorious northern sunshine, the cathedral, arguably Spain’s premier Gothic masterpiece, exudes a glorious, almost luminous quality.

The extraordinary facade has a radiant rose window, three richly sculpted doorways and two muscular towers. After going through the main entrance, lorded over by the scene of the Last Supper, an extraordinary gallery of vidrieras (stained-glass windows) awaits. French in inspiration and mostly executed from the 13th to the 16th centuries, the windows evoke an atmosphere unlike that of any other cathedral in Spain; the kaleidoscope of coloured light is offset by the otherwise gloomy interior. There seems to be more glass than brick – 128 windows with a surface of 1800 sq metres in all – but mere numbers cannot convey the ethereal quality of light permeating this cathedral.

The peaceful, light-filled claustro, with its 15th-century frescoes, is a perfect complement to the main sanctuary and an essential part of the cathedral experience. The Museo Catedralicio-Diocesano, off the cloisters, has an impressive collection encompassing works by Juní and Gaspar Becerra alongside a precious assemblage of early-Romanesque carved statues of the Virgin Mary.