And Then, León

My wanderings continued yesterday after a very restful night with absolutely no outside noise, except crickets if I had wanted to open my window on a cool night. So cool, I was thankful for the two blankets on my bed. But after breakfast I had to leave the delightful pension and continue my trip. 

The day before, when I arrived, I asked if the old prison at Astorga still existed, but was told it was long gone. I mentioned I had had a thought about checking to see if there were any information left in Astorga about Civil War prisoners, and the hostess said she would talk with someone she knew who might help me. Yesterday morning, an appointment was set up with him in Astorga. 

I met with the gentleman and he gave me the names of various national archives where I would be likely to find the old documents about my grandfather's incarceration. One thing that Franco copied from the Germans was the love of official documents. One of the archives was the Archivo Provincial de León. Since I was going there, I decided to drop in and ask. 

Storks on a church on the road to León.

No, I've never been to León, but I had no problem driving and finding a centric place to park. I like to 1) use maps; 2) follow the road signs (I only wish they were more plentiful and accurate.); 3) follow my nose; 4) use Google maps as a last resort; 5) ask as the absolutely last resort. I generally always get to where I'm going before I have to resort to number five. I had to do that to find the building where the archives were housed. León is big. 

At the offices, I asked if it were possible to see if there was any information on my grandfather. The person I was sent to simply took down my information, the information I had about my grandfather and checked a list. Yes, they had documentation from the old prison pertaining to him. I just had to sign a paper and they would bring it out for me to peruse. I did so and waited, my mind wandering. How easy it was to ask for ancient history and how difficult to obtain a simple certification for something absolutely necessary for living! And, I was finally going to see something about my grandfather in black and white other than his birth certificate! The lady who jotted everything down had said the probabilities of a photograph was slim, though there had been prisoners whose photo had been taken. Still, the documents would tell me a little bit more about him. 

The lady came back and said she was sorry. In that building they only kept the archives to the letter N. My grandfather's name began with R and those archives were kept elsewhere in León. I would have to wait till the next day. Or, they could copy and mail the copies upon payment for them. Disappointed, I chose to pay for the copies and have them sent to me. I will have to wait a little more to see information on my family's past.

So I set off to look around León, once the capital of the Kingdom of León. It's an old city, going back to a Roman legion that camped here in the first century B.C. Its name comes from the Latin legio (legion). When the Moors came, it was occupied for over a hundred years before it was reconquered and converted to the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias and which then became known to history as the Kingdom of León. It lasted until the later Middle Ages, when the crown of León became incorporated into the crown of Castile. Before that, though, León held the first Parliament of the western world. In 1188, Alfonso IX of León felt a need to have a consensus on laws that needed to be clarified. Not only did the clergy and nobility attend the parliament, or cortes, that was called, but also representatives of the middle classes of the different towns and villages in the Kingdom. UNESCO recognized the Decreta de León, as the oldest written document of the parliamentary system in Europe and declared it a "Memory of the World."

There are plenty of beautiful buildings to attest to the glory of the Kingdom of León and its importance in medieval times. I had time to see some of them, but

I would love to return to see the rest some day. The bulding that bowled me over was the Gothic cathedral. The Cathedral of Santa María, also known as The House of Light, was built on the remains of a previous cathedral, which was built on the remains of a palace, which was built on the remains of a Roman bath. It's modelled after the cathedral at Rheims, though smaller. And the walls are filled with stained glass windows, most of which date from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries.

They are being cleaned now, and they will be finished probably at the end of the year. Those that are clean have such brilliant colors that you doubt they could be that old. What did they use to color the glass that deep, enigmatic blue, that vibrant vermilion, that dewy green? What of those in-between colors that seem impossible for medieval times? I just sat there, on the steps of one of the side doors, staring up and up the curving lines of the columns to the celing, where they spread out like symmetrical branches holding up the sky. My eyes drifted from one arched window to another, not being able to drink in enough color. If the builders meant the worshipper to feel small and insignificant, they managed it. 

After leaving there, I strolled some more through the old section of town, and chanced upon the Palacio del Conde Luna. It's original section is from the fourteenth century, though it was amplified later. Now it's divided into different businesses, a museum where there is a permanent exhibit on the Kingdom of León, and a section rented out by the University of Washington where students come to study Spanish from the horse's mouth. It has been completely renovated inside and the only things kept from other centuries are the central façade, some internal doorways, and a wooden ceiling in one of the rooms with hand-painted designs. What I would have loved to have seen is the original dungeons from the time the Inquisition was housed here, but they must be long gone. I remembered the Palace because it appeared some time ago on a television program that discusses ghosts and other paranormal activity. Apparently, it's haunted. (I've already mentioned I like a good ghost story.)

I wandered in (it's free) and looked around. It was disappointing, really. The façade is beautiful. Inside, everything has been absolutely gutted out and fitted

with modern architecture. Still, I checked for ghosts. Apart from warm wind being flitted about (no air conditioning!), there was nothing. No creepy feeling, no strange noises. There were sounds of footsteps at times, but someone would always then appear. The modern distribution of the walls simply made the footsteps sound in a different direction that that the person appeared from. But the painted ceiling beams were intriguing.

And then my mini vacation was over, and I had to drive back. However, I promise myself that I will return some day. 

Patio of the Palacio de los Guzmanes with a gargoyle contemplating me.