Exploring history in London & abroad with my camera
Léon was founded by the Roman legion Legio VI Victrix in 1C but the walls around the 'historic centre' of Léon date from both Roman and Mediaeval times. It was fun to walk around the city, looking for the walls, and I did this more than once! The oldest section that remains was built by Legio…
Saturday morning dawned somewhat grey - the first greyish day we had seen, but it was market day in Leon and off we went! The produce in the market is amazingly good - we don't see goods of this quality in the UK and it made me wonder why the UK supermarkets bother to import,…
I loved the Basilica of San Isidoro and popped in several times at the end of the day. It is situated next to, and attached to, the Roman Walls, on the site of a Roman Temple and in a quiet, residential area of Léon inside the walls. There is a good café on the square…
The Cloister of Léon Cathedral is accessed from the outside, from the Calle Guzmán el Bueno, and, just like the interior, it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Built in the 14C, it is also very big. The floorplan of the Cathedral & Cloister, Leon (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Leon_catedral_planta.png) Calle de Guzman…
We were settled into a very comfortable AirBnB just ten minutes from the centre of 'old' Léon - comfortable beds, hot water, good cooking facilities, chairs, and fast wifi - and set off to begin our week in the city with a visit to the Cathedral. Léon is a city which was established by the…
I was sad to leave the area of Potes; we had spent only four very enjoyable nights in the nearby village of Cambarco, in good weather, and I loved it. The scenery was grand, the air smelt good, it was quiet.... But we had a schedule and it was time to move on - to…
At the Monastery at San Toribio I saw a map with the names of monasteries and churches in the surrounding areas, and at seemed that at both Lebeña and Frama, near to where we were staying, there used to be important monasteries - so off we went to explore. The Church of Santa Maria at…
There seemed to be many churches, monasteries, and hermitages in the area around Potes and we had time to visit three. Santa Maria Real de Piasca was a Monastery founded in the 8C-9C and by the 11C was apparently equal in importance to Santa Toribio, with many possessions. Today all that remains is the church, halfway…
Read More "Santa Maria de Piasca, near to Potes in the Picos de Europa"
We had wandered through Potes and the Monastery of San Toribio and now we set off up the valley of the River Deva to Fuente Dé. The first part of the road was green, rural - almost like being in England! The road to Fuente De Fuente…
The Monastery of Santa Toribio de Liébana near Potes is apparently only one of five sites in Christianity that can issue a perpetual indulgence. The original monastery was founded before 6C and houses the largest piece of the true cross in a silver reliquary which is in a chapel used for prayer, and so no…
