León Cathedral

The Gothic Cathedral of Santa María de Regla of León is the episcopal church of the diocese of Leon and is located in northwestern Spain on the road to Santiago de Compostela.

History

The main construction period is from 1255 (or shortly before 1255 ) and 1302 (or 1303, almost completed, but without towers). Since 1254 Martín Fernandez was appointed bishop, is in the written sources often talk of a new church. Construction began in 1255th

The first architect was apparently the "master Enrique ", who had previously 1243-1260 the transept and the nave of the Cathedral of Burgos built (also a Spaniard named Juan Pérez is mentioned ). He had held from 1255 to 1277 the site management. But it was based not - as Burgos and Toledo - at the Cathedral of Bourges but at the Cathedral of Reims. The experience, the " master Enrique " had made in Burgos, encouraged him apparent to a daring, the very centuries later retaliated. " He refined and reduced the profile of the pillar, creating a glazed triforium " ( Swaan, p 272). Later, many openings had to be bricked. In the middle of the 19th century the building was about to collapse and had to be fully restored. The construction lasted from 1859 to 1901.

Three years after construction began in 1258 the chapels under construction. 1302, the work was stopped apparently only once, probably due to financial problems. Here also the reason may be due to the relatively short nave of five bays only, for no towers or spiers of the transept and the peculiar facade construction. The upper parts of the cathedral were finished only in 1439. The technical quality of the building was rather modest, so a thorough restoration was necessary in the 19th century.

The cathedral is 90 m long and 30 m wide.

Architecture

The floor plan allows the clear orientation to the Cathedral of Reims recognize. The three-aisled nave is a three-nave transept into a five-aisled choir above, or in a choir with ambulatory and radiating chapels, consisting of five identical chapels. The uniformity of the chancel is underscored by the same vault. Leon is regarded as the most French of all Spanish cathedrals called ( Wilcken, p 120). This is reflected in the high proportions of the interior, to the extensive dissolution of the walls with a glazed triforium and the rich sechsbahnigen tracery windows.

This is not true for the facade. The two powerful 90 -meter high corner towers are only on the ground floor connected by the portal system to the longhouse. The upper floors have no connection to him. In addition, the towers are not in the extension of the aisles, but beside them.

"The building gives the impression that as a consequence of the exterior first, immediately excited Reims plan, while the nave adjoins later ideas of the Ile -de -France. " ( Erlande -Brandenburg, p 544) In contrast to Toledo had Leon has no impact on the further history of architecture in the country.

Famous are the glass windows of the church, which were created from the 16th to the 20th century by unknown masters ( according to other sources as early as 1263 ). The 125 windows are some 12 meters high and cover an area of 1800 m². In addition, there are 57 openings and roses and three large rose window.

Portal system of the facade

The five -piece porch of the west front was built by the middle to the end of the 13th century. It was based on the design of this sophisticated three- portal system to the then most important model, the transept portals of Chartres. The main portal, the " Portada de le Virgen Blanca " shows on Trumeaupfeiler the Mother of God, created by the master who has created in Burgos (c. 1255-1260 ), the Coronería. Today's figure is a copy. The original is located in the Central Chapel of the handling choir. The tympanum shows Christ in the center as a judge of the last judgment. There are very deep spatial reliefs, the figures can move in three dimensions. The tympanum has a height of 5.20 m and a width of 4.60 m. It is dated 1270 /80. As in Chartres, the figures are protected under a porch, which explains its excellent state of preservation. The lintel shows in a very refined presentation left the bliss of the elect in the sense of cultivated courtly society.

On the jamb shows the Spanish joy of strong decoration, especially in the rich wrinkling of clothes.

Portal system of the north transept

Built around 1300. The tympanum shows the Ascension of Christ. The figure of Christ in the Mandorla achieved here a new monumentality by a simplified stylization. In the jambs are the figures of the Annunciation and the Holy Apostle James the Elder. , Peter and Paul.

Organ

The great organ was built by the organ builder Johannes Klais (Bonn) and inaugurated on September 21, 2013 .. The design and disposition comes from the French composer and organist Jean Guillou, the housing and leaflet design submitted by the Spanish artist Paco Pascual Chamorro. The entire instrument is placed in the choir, and on both sides of the sanctuary in the side niches: On the east side of the choir, the manual divisions I and II, both side by side, on the west side of the sections of the Schwellwerk (which are from the third Manual of playable ), each side by side, and in front of each side by side in the fourth and fifth manual work. The pedal arrangement is accommodated on both sides. The organ has a total of 64 registers ( including 11 transmitted Register) to five manuals ( six individual plants) and pedal. The play and Registertrakturen are electric.

• Pairing: Normal Couplers: I / II, III / I, III / II, IV / I, IV / II, IV / III, V / II, V / III, V / IV, I / P, II / P III / P, IV / P V / P
• Suboktavkoppeln: I / II, III / II, III / III, V / II, V / P