León

The city emerged in 68 CE as a Roman army camp for the Legio VII Gemina (Legionem -> Leion -> León), but it was not until the year 914 that the court of the Asturian kingdom moved from Oviedo to León. After being razed to the ground by Almanzor, king Alfonso V recovered the capital city in 1017, rebuilding the old Roman walls and promulgating what are considered the first municipal laws - the so-called “Buenos Fueros”. Since then, León will be enriched with the contributions of pilgrims on their way to Santiago.

• Cathedral: no less than 1800 square meters of stained-glass windows of medieval origin filter the light coming into this temple, built between the 13th and 14th centuries. It is a genuine treasure of classical Gothic style in Spain, with its central portico framed by two slender spire towers and an extraordinary rose window.
• Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: magnificent monumental complex begun in Romanesque style. The museum is home to the exceptional Chalice of Doña Urraca. The Royal Pantheon was built in the late 11th century, its vaults decorated with paintings from around 1100.
• Convent of San Marcos: former primatial house of the Order of Chivalry of Saint James, whose monumental Plateresque façade was built in the 16th century. Nowadays part the building is occupied by a luxury hotel whose interior resembles a museum. The 16th century church stands out for its choir – made by Juan de Juni.
• Old City Hall: built in the late 17th century, it has a Baroque-Classicist entrance, beautifully presiding over the Plaza Mayor.
• Palace of Los Guzmanes: a sumptuous 16th century building, with an outstandingly elegant courtyard. Current seat of the Provincial Council or “Diputación”.
• Casa de Botines: a singular architectural complex from the late 19th century, designed by the talented architect Gaudí, with façades looking onto four streets and one tower at each angle.
• Palace of the Counts of Luna: house of the Quiñones lineage, it retains the 14th-century Gothic façade and a large 15th-century Renaissance tower.
• San Salvador del Palat del Rey: a monastery dating from the 10th-century, later replaced by a Mozarabic-style temple, although today there are hardly any traces of the original styles.
• San Marcelo: temple of purest classicist lines built in the late 16th century and dedicated to the city’s patron saint. It retains two carvings by the incomparable sculptor Gregorio Fernández, one representing the saint and the other one a crucified Christ.
• Nuestra Señora del Mercado: the current building is Romanesque, from the first half of the 12th century, although it has been greatly transformed over time. Located in the Camino at the charming Plaza del Grano.
• Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Regla: former Palace of the Prado lineage, moved here from the town of Renedo de Valdetuéjar. Ostentatious Baroque façade in which the coat of arms of the Prado lineage is to be found repeatedly.