Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidoro and the Royal Pantheon

Next to the Roman wall, the Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidoro holds the Royal Pantheon, with its vaults painted in the Romanesque period, known as the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art. The museum occupies the premises of the old complex and all its visits include the pantheon, the treasury, the textiles and the cloister. The basilica, separately, can be visited free.

The Royal Pantheon

The pantheon was the narthex, the entrance porch, of the church of San Isidoro, and King Ferdinand I and Queen Sancha chose it as the family cemetery. According to the museum, between the 11th and 13th centuries 33 bodies of León kings, queens, infantes and nobles were buried here. Its paintings are one of the most extensive and best-preserved groups of Romanesque painting, and remain in their original place. They tell the life of Jesus in three cycles: childhood, Passion and glory. Look at the Annunciation to the Shepherds, among the best preserved, with the mountains of León among oak leaves and local animals, goats, cows, sheep and a León mastiff; the Last Supper, where the cupbearer holds a cup representing the agate bowl of Doña Urraca's chalice; the Pantocrator surrounded by the four evangelists, and the agricultural calendar, twelve medallions with the farm tasks of each month. Look also at the capitals, plant, geometric and historiated.

Types of visit and prices

The self-guided visit costs €6 and is done with audio via QR codes in each room: bring headphones. The one guided by museum staff lasts about an hour and costs €8. The "Colegiata al completo" (complete collegiate church), of an hour and a quarter, adds the exterior and the Romanesque doorways of the church, for €10. There is another special guided visit, "El poder femenino en el Reino de León" (female power in the Kingdom of León), on the Infantado and the queens and infantas as patrons, also at €10, and a dramatised one for families, "La niña destinada al trono" (the girl destined for the throne), with the girl Urraca, her father Alfonso VI and her nurse, at €5. Under-12s do not pay. According to the Tourist Office sheet, the museum and pantheon guided visits leave at 11:30, 13:00, 16:30 and 18:00, the complete collegiate church at 10:00 and 16:00 and those in English and French at 12:00 and 16:00; on Wednesday from 16:00 to 18:00 there are only free guided visits, on a first-come basis. Tickets are bought on the museum's website.

Opening hours

From 13 October to 31 December, the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00; it is closed on Monday. The ticket office closes 30 minutes earlier. The basilica, free, is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:30 and Sunday from 10:00 to 22:00, and cannot be visited during services. Museum phone: 987 876 161.

What to combine

It is right next to the Roman León interpretation centre at Puerta Castillo and five minutes from the cathedral. If you want to eat or sleep within the complex, there are the restaurant and the Hotel Real Colegiata.