Welcome to a Kinder Camino de Santiago with Fresco Tours! To kick off our trip we will sit down with our group and Fresco Tours guides to learn about our next 10 days. Afterwards it is time to get to know León, a city that boasts what many consider to be Spain’s most perfect example of a Gothic cathedral. As our local art historian will tell you, Santa María de Regla de León Cathedral is one-of-a-kind. Its claim to fame is the 1,800 square meters (20,000 square feet) of original medieval stained-glass windows. This spectacular work of art is a must-see in person and a fantastic start to our journey.
As you will learn while taking in its beauty, the current Gothic cathedral has quite a history. Started in 1205 (13th century), it replaced the previous Romanesque cathedral, which replaced the original Christian church built here during the Reconquista. The cathedral construction was finally completed at the end of the 15th century, which is when the majority of the fabulous stained-glass windows date from.
In 1868 the cathedral underwent major restoration works where several elements that had been added over the centuries were removed to maintain the cathedral’s original Gothic style. During the Spanish Civil War, León was not bombed as it sided with fascist forces at the beginning of the insurrection, thus saving the cathedral and its windows from damage. Lucky us!
After learning more about the Cathedral and exploring the city, we will enjoy a fabulous dinner to prepare us for our first day of walking tomorrow!
