Basilica of San Isidoro, León

Coordinates: 42°36′04″N 5°34′16″W / 42.601°N 5.571°W / 42.601; -5.571
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
San Isidoro de León
)
facade
of the basilica
Cloisters at the basilica

The Basílica de San Isidoro de León is a church in the city of León, Castile and León, Spain, located on the site of an ancient Roman temple. Its Christian roots can be traced back to the early 10th century when a monastery for Saint John the Baptist was erected on the grounds.

In 1063 the basilica was rededicated to Saint

Moor-slayer
is visible, along with many other sculptures, high on the facade.

In 1188, the Cortes of León were held in here. It was the first sample of modern parliamentarism in the history of Europe, according to the UNESCO and John Keane's book The Life and Death of Democracy.

History

Interior of the Basilica of San Isidoro

The original church was built in the pre-

god Mercury. In the 10th century, the kings of León established a community of Benedictine
sisters on the site.

Following the conquest of the area by

Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir (938–1002), the first church was destroyed and the area devastated. León was repopulated and a new church and monastery established in the 11th century by Alfonso V of León
.

Alfonso's daughter, the

Santiago de Compostella
. Sculptors, stonemasons and artists from across Europe gathered to work on the monastery.

The church was rebuilt as a basilica and rededicated by Ferdinand I and Sancha in 1063. They renamed it San Isidoro in honor of St. Isidore, whose remains were transported to León.[1][2]

Queen Sancha chose the new monastery as the site of the royal burial chapel. Today eleven kings, numerous queens and many nobles lie interred beneath the

canons was established to maintain the monastery and ward the relics. The apse and transept of the building are in the Gothic style, whilst other parts of the building are Romanesque or of the Renaissance
period.

In 1072, after the death of Sancho,

Alfonso VI from exile and reinstalled him as king. Together they planned an enlarged basilica, although the contemporary claims about the specifics of this amplification of the basilica may not be accurate.[3]

The basilica is still a collegiate foundation and the canons' office is celebrated each day.

Description

The Chalice of Doña Urraca in the Basilica's museum.

Basilica

Built mostly in the Romanesque style, the basilica has had major additions in the styles of many succeeding centuries including the Gothic. The arches on the crossing of the transept hark back to Islamic art. However the many styles merge into a harmonious whole.

The carved tympanum of the Puerta del Cordero is one of the basilica's most notable features. Created prior to 1100, this romanesque tympanum depicts the sacrifice of Abraham.

The Royal Pantheon

Royal Pantheon

Or the Pantheon of the Kings of León. This funeral chapel of the

Visigothic capitals, with floral or historic designs. The 12th century painted murals
are in an exceptional state of preservation and consist of an ensemble of New Testament subjects along with scenes of contemporary rural life.

Museum

This contains numerous examples of early medieval art including jewelled chalices and works of ivory and precious metal. The library holds 300 medieval works, numerous manuscripts as well as mozarabic bible dating from 960 and a Latin version transcribed in the seventh century. There is also a text of the seventh century law code of the Visigothic rulers of pre-conquest Spain. The Chalice of Doña Urraca is one of the most important pieces in this Museum.

References

  1. ^ "The Basilica". Turismo de León. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  2. ^ Caldwell (1986), p. 19.
  3. ^ Caldwell (1986), p. 21.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Real Basílica Colegiata of San Isidoro, León.

42°36′04″N 5°34′16″W / 42.601°N 5.571°W / 42.601; -5.571

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Basilica_of_San_Isidoro,_León&oldid=1212101462"