Majestic and stunning cathedral from the inside and outside. Stained glass windows made the cathedral appear more grand. There was a long queue to see the crypt housing the remains of St. James and his 2 disciples in a silver reliquary. Allow for extra time if you wish to see the crypt and properly appreciate the cathedral as it can be very crowded.

From outside very similar to Notre Dame. Highly recommended to visit inside, despite unusual open hours.

One of the most beautiful cathedrals in Spain. We did the guided tour organized by the tourism office. Our guide Jara was excellent. I’d recommend the guided tour as a way to learn about the cathedral. It’s got some interesting stories from over the centuries.

Excellent visit. Amazing achievement of the entire town and the people who worked on this. Inspired by the wonderful glass and ceilings. Unbelievable really that this cathedral was built in the first place in the thirteenth century but even more incredible that the town managed to prevent the building from falling into a ruin. A joy to visit and very clear tour in English on my phone. Worth every penny

What a stunningly beautiful work of art! Wow! The exterior alone is one of the most impressive I've seen travelling for several decades. The interior is fantastic as well. The audio guide is one of the better ones my wife and I have used during several months of going to historical sites throughout Spain the last two years. I'd recommend going during the off season (we went on a Tuesday the first week in November).

The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Regla de Leão is a Catholic church, episcopal see of the Diocese of Leão, dedicated to the advocacy of Our Lady. It was the first property classified as a national monument in Spain, by the Royal Order of August 28, 1844. Started in 1205, it is one of the great works of Gothic architecture, of French influence. Known as Pulchra Leonina, which means "beautiful Lioness", it is found on the Camino de Santiago. The building takes the "dematerialization" of Gothic art to the extreme, that is, the reduction of walls to their minimum expression to be replaced by around 1,800 m² of colored stained glass, which constitutes one of the largest sets of medieval stained glass in the world. In 1844, the poor condition of the building led the state to rush to repair it. The cathedral was declared a national monument, the first in Spain. In 1849, the Jesuit P. Ibáñez designed and installed a new rose window for the south gable. Shortly after, the chapter feared a fatal outcome, when in 1857 stones began to fall again from the transept and the central nave, spreading fear of the total collapse of the cathedral, which spread throughout Spain and Europe. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando intervened and the government entrusted Matías Laviña with the direction of the works in 1859. To stop the deterioration of the building while it was being reconstructed, Madrazo designed an admirable system of covering the high vaults with trusses, which involved very complex carpentry work and served to sustain all the tensions of the temple while the reconstruction of the entire south facade. In addition, the arrangement of the vaults was modified and the south facade was redone from the arcade, taking inspiration from the north facade. In general, he planned the entire building as we find it today. The objective was to get back Pulchra Leonina, that is, the cathedral in its original state of pure Gothic, eliminating everything that had altered that purity. restoration, albeit to a lesser extent. In 1911, Manuel Cárdenas demolished the Porta do Bispo, a civil building that connected the cathedral with the episcopal palace. In 1930, Juan Crisóstomo Torbado finished the outer fence, which had been started in 1794, closing off the entire atrium. The same architect later carried out the restoration of the cloister. In 1963, Luis Menéndez-Pidal y Álvarez remade the perforated rose of the triangular finial on the south gable, imitating the one on the north gable. In 1963, the architect Luis Menéndez Pidal remade the perforated rose of the triangular finish on the south gable, imitating the northern one. On May 27, 1966, a fire caused by lightning destroyed the entire roof of the tall naves, but the consequences were not serious due to the intervention of the master builder Andrés Seoane, thanks to which the roof could be repaired. In the first decades of the 21st century, important works have been carried out to reinforce the structures and to treat and clean the stones with the most modern techniques. Since 2009, the restoration and consolidation of the stained glass has also taken place, namely with the placement of protective glass to close the openings, isothermal glass to protect the stained glass from atmospheric effects and external protective metal meshes. Funding for these works has been provided by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Junta de Castilla y León, through the cultural project "Cathedral de León, the dream of light"

Absolutely wonderfull cathedral!!! A must to visit if you are in Leon. The glass windows are magnificent!!! The cathedral is impressive on the outside but also breathtaking inside.

Exterior is very impressive, closed for lunch when we arrived, I don’t think we would have paid the entrance price to visit the inside.

Beautiful cathedral. Must go inside to see the amazing stain glass windows.

The most beautiful vidrieras in the world

Such a beautiful Gothic cathedral with precious stained glass windows. I recommend visiting on a sunny day to better appreciate the colors.

I loved the audio guide, especially details about the Cathedral's restoration. It actually helps you appreciate the beauty of the Cathedral better.

Interesting cathedral. 7€ entrance fee for adult and you get audio guide (QR code in your mobile). Nearby there is a museum, but we didn’t visit. Friday evening not very crowded. It took us appr 40-45 minutes (without museum).

Phenomenal cathedral, one of the most beautiful and striking. Try to visit early in the day. Excellent audio tour with QR code. Just an amazing and beautiful place. Not to be missed.

It cost €7 to get in with a app to explain the history. Such a beautiful building inside and out. Only go if you like history and beautiful old buildings. Fantastic glass stain windows.

A wonderful experience made all that more special by the exceptional guide. You must visit and witness for yourself the stained glass.

The cathedral is beautiful from the outside but if you want to see inside you must pay. That's not ok. They could charge up to 3€ for the maintenance of the place, but 7€ is too expensive just to enter in the cathedral.

The cathedral in Leon is truly impressive and boasts some of the best stained glass work I have ever seen. This 13th century cathedral took the most minimalist approach to walls in favor of glass. The result is one of the greatest stained glass collections in the world. And many of these are originals dating back to the period between the 13th and 15th centuries.

Nice old history, beautiful, also if you go these days you will find in front of small shops in tge street thay are really nice

This is a must see . €7 per adult. Cathedrals in Spain really are amazing places to visit. Surrounded by old pedestrianised streets and coffee shops . Pity about all the graffiti. Come on Mayor do something about it.

Not as big as Burgos Cathedral. I felt comfortable while touring the inside of the cathedral. I felt like a real pilgrim. 16.Nov.2022 <7pm closed> entrance fee 7 euros.

A marvel of a Gothic Cathedral! It's arches and buttresses are constructed in such a way to allow the plethora of stain glass windows to flood the building with hues of light that change with the movement of the sun during the day.

One of the most beautiful gothic cathedral in existence. The glasswork, especially, is absolutely stunning.

We do not have enough time to enter inside of the cathedral, but I personally like what I saw from outside. I adore the building. Pros: 1. The cathedral has a wonderful architecture and decorations. 2. The location is strategic in the city center of León. 3. Entrance accessible for wheelchair. 4. If you can find a free walking tour online, it is worth to join to get more understanding about the building. 5. We must wear a mask before entering. Cons: 1. The parking is a bit far from the cathedral.

Imposing and ornate Roman Catholic 10th century cathedral in the gothic style. Known best for its stained glass windows and its centuries of history. Tours during opening hours to see inside, €6 adults

Imposing and outstanding building in the heart of Leon. Looks fantastic in the sunlight and even better with floodlights at night. Superb stained glass windows - worth the €6 to enter to see them from the inside.

Beautiful Gothic cathedral with amazing windows. Hard to believe that a little town of 5000 people could have built this masterpiece at that time. When you listen to the audio tour is so interesting how it was safe from almost certain destruction from the pass of time and previous mistakes.

Beautiful Gothic cathedral with amazing history and stained glass work

Beautiful architecture and one of the biggest Cathedral's I've visited. I paid 6€ for student entry which includes an audio tour and a magazine. There are QR codes inside for the audio tour in a variety of languages which is very informative.

On of the most iconic sights in León. Just wonderful.

Amazing structure! Perfectly conserved! A must see in the Leon province.

Stunning architectural Gothic cathedral in the centre of Leon. It does take your breath away….. But, why are the staff there so miserable? From the ticket office to the “shop” assistant, not a single smile or friendly manner throughout my visit. No discount for Pilgrims either, and when you ask for a stamp for your credential, more misery. Can I give the management of the cathedral some advice; go to Burgos cathedral for a visit and see how welcome pilgrims are made and how happy the staff are. Also how open all the chapels are instead of every chapel in Leon cathedral whinge behind huge metal gates. The cathedral inside and out is worth a visit, but it could be so much better..

I've never been to a more beautiful cathedral. Well worth a visit. Download tbe audio tour.

It is ranked as one of the most beautiful cathedral in spain and a popular pilgrimage destination.. No doubt it looked really nice and the architecture is fantastic