San Isidoro el Real

San Isidoro el Real Review

The sandstone basilica of San Isidoro el Real, on Calle Cid, was built into the side of the city wall in 1063 and rebuilt in the 12th century. Adjoining the basilica, the Panteón de los Reyes (Royal Pantheon), which has earned the title of the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art, has vibrant 12th-century frescoes on its pillars and ceiling. The pantheon was the first building in Spain to be decorated with scenes from the New Testament. Look for the agricultural calendar painted on one archway, showing which farming task should be performed each month. Twenty-three kings and queens were once buried here, but their tombs were destroyed by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars. Treasures in the adjacent Museo de San Isidoro include a jewel-encrusted agate chalice, a richly illustrated handwritten Bible, and many polychrome wood statues of the Virgin Mary.