Showing 1-10 of 10 results
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Casa de Botines
Antoni Gaudí's contribution to León's skyline is the castle-like neo-Gothic Casa de Botines (1893); the zany architect of Barcelona fame seems to have been subdued by more sober León.
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Catedral & Museo Catedralicio-Diocesano
León's 13th-century cathedral, with its soaring towers, flying buttresses and truly breathtaking interior, is the city's spiritual heart. Whether spot-lit by night or bathed in the glorious northern sunshine, the catedral, arguably Spain's premier Gothic masterpiece, exudes a glorious, almost luminous quality.
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Convento de San Marcos & Museo de León
More than 100m long and blessed with a glorious façade, the Convento de San Marcos has more the appearance of a palace than the pilgrim's hospital it was from 1173. The Plateresque exterior, sectioned off by slender columns and decorated with delicate medallions and friezes, dates to 1513, by which time the edifice had become a monastery of the Knights of Santiago.
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Cripta de Puerta Obispo
Beneath the footpath below the southern wall of the catedral is the Cripta de Puerta Obispo, the foundations from the northern gate of the Roman camp where León was founded. The future of the site was unclear at the time of writing - it recently opened to the public but only on a temporary basis.
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Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
León's showpiece Museo de Arte Contemporáneo is part of the new wave of innovation sweeping Spanish architecture. The building is a work of art and, for many, may appeal more than the works it contains.
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Palacio de los Guzmanes
The Renaissance theme continues in the form of the splendid Palacio de los Guzmanes (1560); the façade and patio stand out.
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Plaza de Santa María del Camino
The Plaza de Santa María del Camino (also known as Plaza del Grano) feels like a cobblestone Castilian village square and is overlooked by the Romanesque Iglesia de Santa María del Mercado.
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Plaza de Santo Domingo
On the fringes of León's old town (also known as the Barrio Gótico), Plaza de Santo Domingo is home to the Ayuntamiento which occupies a charming Renaissance-era palace.
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Plaza Mayor
At the northeastern end of the old town is the beautiful and time-worn 17th-century Plaza Mayor. Sealed off on three sides by porticoes, this sleepy plaza is home to a bustling fruit and vegetable market on Wednesday and Saturday. On the west side of the square is the superb late-17th-century baroque old town hall.
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Real Basílica de San Isidro & Panteón Real
Older even than the catedral, the Real Basílica de San Isidro & Panteón Real provides a seminal Romanesque counterpoint to the former's Gothic strains. Fernando I and Doña Sancha founded the church in 1063 to house the remains not just of the saint, but also of themselves and 21 other early Leónese and Castilian monarchs. Sadly, Napoleon's troops sacked San Isidoro in the early 19th century, leaving behind just a handful of sarcophagi, although there's still plenty to catch the eye.
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