Why go
Begin with the main chapel’s Gothic altarpiece and its carved enclosure, then examine the individual chapels for different patrons and periods. The interior’s dense detail is easier to grasp through a few focal points than an exhaustive inventory. A selective route makes the shifts in style and function easier to recognize.
The full story
The main chapel changed substantially under Cardinal Cisneros. He pressed for a wider presbytery so the monumental Gothic altarpiece he commissioned could be given space. One of the earlier great stone screens survives on the epistle side; it helps show how the sanctuary was once enclosed. Carved figures, heraldry, and tombs crowd this central area. The royal sepulchres of Alfonso VII and Berenguela, along with those of Sancho III and Sancho IV, turn the sanctuary into a place of dynastic memory. Beyond it, individual chapels tell smaller stories. The Chapel of the Sepulchre lies beneath the main altar, while the Chapel of Saint Leocadia includes a stone lattice worked in a Flamboyant Gothic style. Stained glass also records change: damaged windows were repaired and replaced over centuries, including restoration after the Spanish Civil War. Give yourself a few chosen stops inside; the building’s variety becomes clearer when each has time to register.