| 29 Sep 2013, 17:39. Upon entering the main façade of Catedral de Santa María de Regla de León, one is presented with this magnificent view toward the distant altar. Despite the cathedral’s thrilling design, its architect did not fully appreciate the instability of the ground on which it was built nor the weakness of the stone with which it was built. These and other deficiencies led to structural weaknesses that in 1857 culminated in the vault of the crossing falling to the ground. This led to more than 40 years of reconstruction and structural enhancement that includes the crossbeams seen in the middle of this photo. Information about the cathedral’s structural problems and how they were addressed can be found in an essay by Javier Rivera Blanco beginning on p. 107.
|
