Burgos Cathedral is characterized externally by the richly decorated tower structures of the facade and crossing. The entire building is richly decorated with pinnacles in the upper part, giving the impression of a bulky confectionery style. Pierre Loti spoke of a "petrified forest".
The church has a cruciform floor plan and consists of a nave, transept, two side aisles, ambulatory and fifteen chapels. The deep chancel means that the transept is in the middle; as in many Spanish cathedrals, the choir divides the nave. The total length of the cathedral is 106 meters, it is 26 meters wide at the nave and 59 meters wide at the transept. The height of the dome above the transept is 54 meters.[2]
Burgos Cathedral does not follow the tradition of the cathedrals of the Île-de-France, but is based on the episcopal churches of Normandy and Burgundy that are dependent on them and which have already modified their style. The floor plan of the choir is compared to that of Pontigny or St-Étienne in Caen. The choir elevation is particularly similar to that of Bourges Cathedral. However, the master of Burgos "did not digest" the French building ideas (Robert Branner). "He did not understand the basics of the new building style, he remained true to a Romanesque tradition. His spatial concept remains very simple. He emphasizes the horizontals and reinforces them with an lavishly decorated triforium. The light cannot spread unhindered."[3] The building is characterized, both inside and out, by increasing decorative paneling in an ornamental line system. The nave chapels were decorated in the Plateresque style.
The originally clearly structured external shape of the cathedral is no longer recognizable due to the additions: in addition to chapels on the transepts and side aisles of the cathedral, the cloister and the archbishop's palace were added in the southwest in the 15th century. The dense construction makes it difficult to see, with the only exception being Plaza Sta. María.