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Detail of the Church of Santa María del Mercado
HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE
Consorcio Provincial Turismo León
The Church of Santa María del Mercado
León Cathedral, although famous for its
Gothic architecture and stained glass,
stands on the site of an earlier Romanes-
que structure, and still preserves remains of
the original apse and crypt. It represents the
stylistic evolution from Romanesque to full
Gothic, in a journey that links faith, art and
light.
The Church of San Marcelo, of Romanes-
que origin, has undergone various modifica-
tions over the centuries, but retains its floor
plan and elements from the 12th century. As-
sociated with the Knights Templar and civic
power, it was for centuries a central place of
worship in Leonese urban life.
Finally, the León Museum, housed in the his-
toric Pallarés building, preserves two excep-
tional Romanesque sculptures: the Carrizo
Christ, carved in ivory and decorated with
gold and jet, and the Calvary of Corullón,
one of the oldest examples of polychrome
wooden sculpture in the northwest of the Ibe-
rian Peninsula.
In León, Romanesque is not just an artistic
style: it is a way of looking into the past, of un-
derstanding history, and of travelling—through
art—into the spirit of a city that was once a ro-
yal capital and still today preserves its monu-
mental vocation.
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