Córdoba's centerpiece is a massive former mosque,
or, in Spanish, Mezquita.
This huge rectangle dominates
the tangled medieval town that surrounds it.
Grand gates lead to the courtyard.
It was here, when this was a mosque,
that worshippers would gather to wash
before prayer, as directed by Muslim law.
Entering, you step into a forest of delicate columns
and graceful arches dating from over a thousand years ago.
At its zenith, this mosque was the center of Western Islam
and the heart of a cultural capital
that rivaled Baghdad and Constantinople.
A wonder of the medieval world, it's remarkably well preserved,
giving today's visitors a chance to appreciate
Islamic Córdoba in its 10th-century prime.
The columns and arches seem to recede to infinity,
as if reflecting the immensity
and complexity of God's creation.
The mihrab,the focal point of worship in a mosque,
was built in the mid-10th century.
It's richly mosaicked, with 3,000 pounds
of tiny, multicolored glass and enamel cubes.
A painting in the adjacent treasury takes us back to 1236,
when Christians conquered the city and everything changed.
Here we see the Spanish king,
accepting the keys to Córdoba's fortified gate
from the vanquished Muslims.
According to legend, one morning Muslims said their last prayers
in the great mosque.
That afternoon, the Christians set up their portable road altar
and celebrated the first mass in what would later become
this glorious cathedral.
As if planting a cross into its religious heart,
this grand cathedral was built in the middle of the mosque.
Taking two centuries to complete,
the cathedral is a glorious mix
of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles.
A statue, actually called "St. James the Moor-Slayer,"
stands next to the altar.
Sword raised as usual, James is busy conquering Muslims.
Other art is less provocative.
The Baroque-era choir stalls are made of New World mahogany.
With exquisite carving,
it's considered one of the masterpieces
of 18th-century Andalusian Baroque.
And, towering over the former mosque,
a bell tower makes it clear this huge edifice now houses
a place of Christian worship.
Founded as a Roman camp in the first century,
León gradually grew prosperous
and was the capital of its own kingdom for centuries.
Today's León is the youthful leading city
of one of Spain's biggest provinces.
Its 13th century Gothic cathedral,
towering dramatically over the town center,
must have stoked the spirit of medieval Christians.
Through the Middle Ages, the steady flow of pilgrims
from all across Europe inevitably resulted in
a rich exchange of knowledge, art, and architecture.
That's one reason why today, all along the Camino,
you'll find magnificent churches and exquisite art.
Just down the street, the relatively humble
Church of San Isidoro houses some of
the most sublime medieval art in all of Spain.
This royal Pantheon,
nicknamed "the Sistine Chapel of the Romanesque age,"
is the final resting place of 20 kings of León.
Painted around the year 1100,
this is a rare opportunity to see Romanesque frescoes "in situ"
where they were originally intended.
The art shows a realism and movement
rare in Romanesque art.
Stepping under these vaults,
I can imagine the pilgrim centuries ago
awe-struck by this mystic beauty.
The angel announces to Mary with billowing robes
she'll give birth to the messiah.
All of nature, including goat-herders
in 11th century attire, celebrates the news.
The story of Christ's life unfolds from there,
ending with the events leading up to the crucifixion.
After Jesus is condemned, Simon helps carry his cross,
Pontius Pilate washes his hands of the whole business,
and Jesus is crucified.
Finally, Christ returns, triumphant over death,
sitting on a rainbow and blessing those
20 royal tombs.
After over a month on the trail, spirits are high,
as well-worn pilgrims reach their final stop --
the city of Santiago de Compostela.
Around the last corner, they reach
the destination of a thousand years of pilgrims --
the cathedral that holds the tomb of St. James.
As millions of weary yet exhilarated pilgrims
have done before them, they stand before the cathedral
and are filled with jubilation.
But the religious climax for many lies within the cathedral.
Imagine you're a medieval pilgrim.
You've just walked 500 miles.
Your journey is done.
Worshipping before the altar,
you give thanks to St. James for a safe passage,
and you reflect on the lessons of your journey.
[ Congregation singing ]
And, if you're here on a festival day,
the mass culminates with an enormous swinging
incense burner.
[ Man singing ]
Gazing at the spectacle
of this 120-pound burner flying through the air,
you're awe-struck by the wonder of God.
[ Singing continues ]
Finally, you climb the stony staircase
behind the altar to the statue of St. James,
studded with precious gems.
Embracing him from behind, you take a moment
to celebrate your spiritual or personal triumph.
For five centuries, Burgos was the capital
of the kingdom of Castile.
It's dominated by
an awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral
designed by French architects in the 13th century,
with its lacy spires added by German architects in the 14th.
The ornate exterior is matched by
its lavish and brightly lit interior.
In Spain, the final flowering of the Gothic age
was the elaborate plateresque style.
As was typical of Gothic churches,
it's ringed by richly decorated chapels
built over the centuries by and for wealthy parishioners.
This chapel is dedicated to St. Anne,
the Virgin Mary's mother.
Its 15th century altar features the Tree of Jesse.
A sleepy and apparently very fertile Jesse
slumbers at the bottom,
sprouting a lineage that connects him
to the Holy Child and Virgin.
♫
This sumptuous chapel marks the tomb of a regional governor
and his wife under a brilliant star-shaped vault.
It's striking for its gracefulness and femininity.
Toledo, Spain's leading Catholic city,
has a magnificent cathedral.
Shoehorned into the old center,
its exterior rises brilliantly above the medieval clutter.
And the interior, so lofty and vast,
is celebrated as the most Gothic of Spain's churches
and the most Spanish of Gothic churches.
Wander among the pillars
and imagine when the light bulbs were candles
and the tourists were pilgrims.
And for worshippers, past and present,
the windows provide spiritual as well as physical light.
Marvel through the iron gate
at one of the most stunning altars in all of Spain.
The complex composition shows the story of Jesus' life,
from his birth in the manger,
to his death on the cross.
While the centerpiece holds the holy communion bread and wine,
the entire altar conveys the Christian message
of salvation through Christ.
While the cathedral is primarily a place of worship,
its sacristy and treasury have enough jewels, great paintings,
and other art to put any museum on the map.
The delicate charms of Santa Cruz
are just a few steps from Sevilla's immense cathedral.
It's the third largest church in Europe,
after St. Peter's in the Vatican
and St. Paul's in London,
and the largest Gothic church anywhere.
When they ripped down the mosque that stood on this site
in 1401, the Reconquista Christians bragged,
"We'll build a cathedral so huge that anyone who sees it
will take us for madmen."
You could fit a soccer field in here.
Everything is super-sized.
The towering main altarpiece is covered in gold leaf.
Constructed in the 1480s,
it's composed of hundreds of figures.
It tells the story of the life of Jesus
in 40 scenes from his birth to his resurrection.
The choir, an enclosure within the cathedral
for more intimate services,
surrounds a spinnable music rack.
It held giant hymnals,
large enough for all to chant from
in an age when there weren't enough for everyone.
In the transept,
four pallbearers carry the tomb of Christopher Columbus.
They represent the four medieval kingdoms
that became Spain:
Aragon, Navarre, Castile, and León,
each identified by their team shirts.
Columbus even traveled a lot after he died.
He was buried first in Sevilla, then
moved to Santo Domingo, then to Cuba.
And after Cuba earned its
independence from Spain around 1900,
he sailed all the way back here to Sevilla.
Is he really in there?
Sevillanos like to think so.
All that survives of Moorish Sevilla's main mosque
is its courtyard of orange trees and a towering minaret.
The tower offers a brief recap of the city's
history, sitting on a Roman foundation,
a long Moorish period capped by the Christian age.
The Moors built its spiraling ramp
to accommodate a rider on horseback.
Somebody climbed this tower five times a day
to call Sevilla's Muslims to prayer.
Today tourists gallop up for fine city views.
And the former minaret functions
as the cathedral's bell tower.
It's topped with a bronze weathervane,
a statue that symbolizes the triumph of faith.
Gaudí's most famous work is his unfinished
Church of the Holy Family, or Sagrada Família.
He worked on it for over 40 years,
until his death in 1926.
Work continues on the church, which is not expected
to be completed for another 50 years.
The nativity façade, the only part of the church
essentially finished in Gaudí's lifetime,
shows the architect's original vision.
Mixing Christian symbolism,
images from nature,
and the organic flair of Modernisme,
it's an impressive example
of Gaudí's unmistakable style.
The more modern Passion façade
has a different, yet complementary, style.
In the soaring nave,
Gaudí's columns blossom with life.
Gaudí was a devout Catholic.
Part of his religious vision
was a love for nature.
He said, "Nothing is invented,
for it's written in nature first."
His little windows let light filter in
like the canopy of a rain forest,
creating space for an intimate connection with God.
Stepping into this monumental construction zone,
visitors see the slow and steady progress
and what their steep admission fee is funding.
Like the construction
of great churches through the ages,
this project takes many lifetimes.
Gaudí knew he'd never
see it finished, as do the architects
working on it today.
Yet they all contribute, pushing steadily
toward completion.
Someday a central 550-foot-tall tower of Jesus
will rise above all this.
It'll dwarf everything we see today.
The vision -- to shine like a spiritual lighthouse,
visible even from out at sea.
If there's one building on earth I'd like to see,
it's Sagrada Família, finished.