June 27, 2016: Mansilla de las Mulas to León

image
Lions on the bridge leading to the old part of the city.  Like the lions on one of the Washington, DC, bridges, but in stone rather than bronze.
image
Beautiful sculptures and fountains throughout the city.
image
Alberto, the hotel manager, gave us a tour of the monastery.
image
The kings of León built their palace and the monastery right up against the old Roman wall for defensive purposes.  This is the longest surviving  section of that Roman wall, part of the monastery.
image
The cathedral peeps out at you as you walk through the streets  of León.
image
The beautiful cathedral doorway.
image
Glass all around, and the glass tells a story in light.  No sunlight hits the northern side, where the Old Testament  is portrayed.  Then the dawn and morning light on the eastern wall, the coming of Christ.  The southern wall has stories from the New Testament, and the  western wall the great rose window.  The glass also tells a story from bottom to top, with minerals on the bottom level, then plants, then animals, followed by humans, with saints apostles, etc. at the top.
image
Quite beautiful polychromed statues and altarpieces.
image
The windows glow much more brilliantly than the film can capture.
image
We weren’t permitted to take photos in the cathedral  museum, which had many interesting pieces, including some  beautiful carved marble statues and items.  León evidently had a marble workshop way back when that was renowned for the quality of its work.  In the cathedral’s cloister are some pinnacles, like the one shown here, which have been taken down and replaced with copies.
image
A companion photo to the one I posted on the American Pilgrims on the Camino (APOC) website.  Sangria, a book about what I am seeing (James: “Oh no, you didn’t buy another book, did you?”  Answer: “Yes, I did.”), and an unfettered view of the outside of the cathedral.  What could be better?  Probably my most  enjoyable day so far on the Camino.
image
And here is that cathedral view from our table  on the plaza.
%d bloggers like this: