Miguel Marquez

4.00 México - 01-Sep-24 -

I had the opportunity to visit Nicaragua this summer (August 2024), and with that, its two world heritage sites. I would like to share my impressions of this place that left a great impact during the two days I was in the city and that also allowed me to get to know its streets and other monuments and museums. The enormous cathedral of the city of León is a great monument that surprised me by its size and the thickness of its walls, by its width and its horizontal shape, designed to resist the earthquakes that frequently hit the region, these features allowed the church to reach our days intact. It is striking, in addition to the dimensions of its naturally illuminated interior space, the fact that no piece of iron or other metal was required to support the building, since it is built mainly of stone, lime, salt, sea sand and the clear of thousands and thousands of bird eggs. It is actually an example to admire for all its visitors and an object of study for contemporary architects anywhere in the world.

To fully enjoy the experience, it is necessary to purchase the three tours offered by the cathedral in the rear (eastern) part of the building. These are, one that gives access to the roof of the cathedral, another that covers the Patio del Príncipe, the art gallery, the baptistery and the tabernacle chapel and the last one to the basements of the cathedral.

There is a great variety of pieces of art of great value inside and outside the cathedral, such as the sculptures and reliefs of the Nicaraguan master Jorge Navas Cordero, who designed the Atlanteans that hold the “Rubén Darío” bell in the north tower of the Leon Cathedral, which can be better admired if you buy a ticket to access the roof of the cathedral, and as already mentioned, it is necessary to take off your shoes so as not to wear out the white cover. On the roof there are volunteers who offer a guided tour and explain in detail the usefulness of the small ventilated domes that can be seen as well as other points of the city that can be admired from above, although I do not know if the volunteers offer the tour in English or another language besides Spanish. Almost all the sculptures inside the building are also the work of Navas, such as the apostles attached to the pillars, the lions that guard the exterior of the cathedral, as well as the “león doliente" (suffering lion) on the most famous tomb in the complex, that of the national poet Ruben Darío.

The general description on the UNESCO website mentions that León cathedral houses, among other works of art, a Flemish wooden altarpiece dating from the 16th or 15th century, according to historians. This piece represents the “Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples”, it was brought from Spain in caravels to León Viejo, from where it was taken to the current cathedral and according to the guide, the altar had been seen by Leonardo da Vinci himself, on one of his trips to the Netherlands. It is possible to actually see it, but for this purpose it is necessary to buy another guided tour, this time to the basements of the cathedral. It is located in the basement closest to the south entrance, which has a wooden door, and the one closest to Rubén Darío's tomb. Given its age and its very fragile state (it has lost all its polychrome), it is not allowed to take photographs of the altarpiece, or even get close to it, as it is located inside a vault, protected by a grill door and a camera that monitors if you get close to dare to take out your camera or your cell phone. Yes, you may have a heavy penalty, but don't worry, there are multiple images on the internet so it's not worth the risk of taking the souvenir. The tour also includes a visit to two other basements that are open to the public and that keep other historical relics of the city. The other basements are closed and have been very useful for their technology that has allowed the building to be cushioned and protected from the damage of strong earthquakes.

The other relic that the cathedral protects and that is much more accessible without the need for a guided tour and in a better state of conservation is the so-called “Cristo de Pedrarias”, the second oldest image of Christ in America and which has already been mentioned by other travelers. It is a not large image and if you want to admire it and take photos, it is in its own space on the left side of the main altar. Its importance is historical but it did not have a great impact on me like other pieces of art.

It is not difficult to get to the city of León by public transport. From wherever you are in Managua, take an Uber to the small interlocal bus station called UCA on “Pista Juan Pablo II” avenue. The minivan takes approximately one hour and twenty minutes to León station where you will find tuk-tuks and taxi drivers offering their service. I suggest leaving the station to 6th Street and taking a bus that leaves you one block from the cathedral and is much cheaper.

Frederik Dawson

3.00 Netherlands - 19-Oct-23 -

I had a full day tour from Managua to visit two Nicaraguan World Heritage Sites, the two Leon. After ending the morning tour in Leon Viejo at 10 AM, my guide’s original plan was local market then having lunch before the cathedral visit, but he got a warning phone call from his company that, the cathedral will be closed for the whole afternoon for certain ceremony, so he hurriedly took me to see cathedral at 11 AM before noon. The first thing we had to do was to secure the entrance ticket. The ticket booth was in the small hard to find entrance at the back of the cathedral opposite the local market, that in my opinion who on earth is going to notice this place! Then my guide rushed me to another entrance at bell tower and took me to see the famous roof.

After took off my shoes, the sight of the sparking white painted roof, domes, spires, and bell towers was indeed very beautiful, it was like walking in the snow-covered garden on summer! so bright that sunglass was mandatory. Then I walked to the top level of the roof, which in my opinion also nice but I would prefer the lower level, to see the view of the city of Leon from the roof which also was very fine. Then we went down to see the cathedral interior. The first thing I noticed was the natural light inside was really good despite the main door was closed. I could see all details without extra electricity lights. In my opinion the interior was a good mix of Baroque and neo classical styles which made the cathedral a bit plain since it was like typical churches that tried to decorate in traditional way. My guide explained a bit more on the tomb of famous poet Ruben Dario and the wooden El Cristo Negro de Pedrarias statue, possibly the oldest Catholic image in the Americas, brought here from Spain in 1528. I also find the ventilation inside the cathedral was top notch then my guide told me that the coolness inside the cathedral was the result of the underneath tunnel complex that now used as wine cellars. The tunnels also provided stability in earthquakes which made me really impressed and started to view this cathedral as a jewel of engineering.

After being politely asked to end the sightseeing by cathedral caretaker at noon, my guide took me to see the front façade from the front square. The proportion of wide façade with low towers was truly outstanding, something that hard to achieve. We ended the cathedral tour with the famous lion statues, the symbol of Leon. At first, I had no idea on this cathedral’s outstanding universal value, but after witnessed the obviously perfect natural light and ventilation system, genuine design and super delicious nacatamales with good local coffee from the restaurant next to the cathedral, I really enjoyed this short but really nice time to see this World Heritage Site.  

Els Slots

3.50 The Netherlands - 23-Jan-15 -

When the León Cathedral entered the List in 2011, many will have wondered “Do we really need another cathedral?”. After having now visited this Nicaraguan monument, my answer would be: “It’s different”. It’s essentially a Central American structure, not purely Spanish-colonial as so many others (although its construction was started during the late colonial years). Also, it’s a Single Monument that carries the weight of being a WHS on its own – not “just” as part of an inscribed city center.

León is Nicaragua’s second city in size. Its slogan is “Primera Capital de la Revolucion” – here’s where the demise of the Somoza regime started. León has been a Sandinista stronghold since. Right next to the cathedral survives a long political mural from the 1980s, painted jointly by German and Nicaraguan artists. The cathedral has been used for military purposes also in the insurrection of 1979.

The cathedral is León’s pride, and it stands impressively in the center of town. It’s so huge and there are so many turrets and domes on its roof, that it is a great landmark to find your way again when you’re lost somewhere in the city. They are in the process of repainting the whole structure. The facade is still a bit off-white, but the roof already has been rendered totally snow-white.

Visiting this Cathedral isn’t as straightforward as with other cathedrals and churches. Of course, the main body is open all the time, to give the local people space to pray and contemplate (and they do so in great numbers). Its interior isn’t exuberant or otherwise very remarkable. Two of the more interesting aspects can only be visited with a separate ticket: the roof and the cloister. Such a ticket can only be bought during limited opening hours (think: late start, long lunch, early leave) from a small kiosk at the back of the church across from the market.

The roof is accessed via another hard-to-find entrance. After climbing a flight of stairs, you’re requested to take off your shoes. They clearly want to keep the roof clean and white! The restored rooftop and bell tower are impressive. All of it is covered with stucco plaster, making it look like one big birthday cake.

Entrance to the cloister known as Patio del Principe involves another hurdle: the ticket lady told me I would find a “joven” (young person) in the main church, who would guide me to the Patio. There were lots of jovens inside of course, so I just waved my ticket. A girl approached me and said: “Go to the front of the church, there will be a girl sitting on a bench reading. She will be your guide.” (I now felt that I was on a secret mission). She went to get the key, and together we entered the Patio. After all the trouble, I found it a bit disappointing. The “typical Nicaraguan” aspects were lost on me.

The Cathedral also hosts El Cristo Negro de Pedrarias, possibly the oldest catholic image in the Americas. I looked for it during my visit, remembering it as being a painting and unsuccessfully asking the guide in the cathedral about it. While re-checking the nomination file later, I noticed it was a wooden statue instead. It was brought from Spain by Pedro Arias de Ávila himself in 1514: first to Panama, and later to Leon Viejo until 1610. So it’s one of those rare objects that moved from one WHS to another. The statue received a hit by a pirate’s saber in 1685, who wanted to be sure that it wasn’t made of precious metal.

Read more from Els Slots here.

Joseph Colletti

U.S.A - 25-Aug-11 -

The cathedral, supposedly the largest in Central America, dominates the square and its massive walls are most impressive. Despite the citation's reference to natural light I found the interior dim and many of the paintings darkened by age. There are several other churches in Leon of note, though none approaches the size of the cathedral. The mix of styles may be more apparent to art historians than the casual visitor and those who have visited the silver and gold laden cathedral of Mexico City or the churches of Cuzco and Quito may be underwhelmed by the ornamentation of this cathedral.

The city of Leon itself is an interesting contrast to the more visited Granada, Leon's historical rival, in both its architecture and culture. (Unlike Granada, Leon was a battleground during the fight to oust Somoza in the 70s and there are many reminders of this struggle throughout the city.) It is well worth a visit.

There is frequent bus service from Managua and the ruins of Leon Viejo, another world heritage site are nearby as are some interesting "fumoroles" or steam vents from the nearby volcanoes.