We ate breakfast at the bar of Albergue La Fabrica next to Pensión de Blanca: tostadas con tomate y aciete; orange juice; coffee/hot chocolate (3.50€ each).
We went by Iglesia de Santa María (which at the time we thought was San Martín) on the way to the bus station. Especially since MT was now having stomach trouble, we had decided to follow Brierley’s suggestion to avoid the busy road into León and to take a bus.
Brierley’s advice: “Forward planning for León. While it is only 18.6 km into León we have been on remote paths over the past few days so prepare for the slog into the city centre along the busy N-601. There is the possibility to avoid the busy (and dangerous) main road into (and out of) León by taking the bus from Mansilla direct to the city centre. Both the route into León alongside the N-601 and out along N-120 can be wearisome. The bus depot is ½ km on the outskirts of Mansilla on the Valladolid road. Several bus companies vie for this lucrative route and leave every half hour or so from about 7:00. This way you could explore the city at leisure, stay overnight and bus it to La Virgen del Camino early again the following morning. Refreshed from your break you could pick up the recommended route via Villar de Mazarife and make it to Hospital de Órbigo (19.1 km) a pleasant town with 3 good albergues and several restaurants.
“The majority of pilgrims will have committed to travel the whole route by foot, which is highly commendable but others have different time constraints. If the idea of taking public transport seems like heresy it might be useful to ask yourself – why not? You could more than make up the distance by walking to Finisterre! The ego and its excessive behavioral patterns can be just as limiting as a laissez faire attitude and indifference. What is your motivation for the journey, the intention you set out with? How does your decision to walk rather than take the bus serve that purpose? Do you judge other pilgrims who take the bus as inadequate in some way? Can we know all the circumstances surrounding individual decisions to be able to judge the actions and motivations of others? Let us walk today with love in our hearts and an open mind – making every step a prayer for peace and acceptance.”
The 9:05 bus departed at 9:25 am (1.65€ each). As we boarded, the 9:40 bus was arriving.
We arrived at the bus station in León (pop 130,000) around 9:54.
León, on the banks of Río Bernesga, is the last major city on the Camino before Santiago to the west and before the climb through the mountains of the Cordillera Cantabrica to the north. It is the capital of the Province of León, which is the largest in the autonomous community of Castilla y León.
Contrary to popular belief, the name of León is not derived from the lion (león in Spanish, featured on the city’s coat of arms), but rather from the Roman legion. It had its origins as a Roman fort to protect recently conquered territories of northwestern Hispania and in particular the roads leading to the gold mines of the El Bierzo region to the west. Founded as a Roman military encampment of the Legio VI Victrix (6th Legion) around 29 BC, its standing as a permanent encampment city was consolidated with the definitive settlement of the Legio VII Gemina (7th Legion) starting in 74 AD, and it served as the military capital of the peninsula until the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476. When the Roman province of Gallaecia was created in the 3rd century, León was integrated into it.
León was Christianized in the 3rd century, becoming the oldest bishopric (diocese of a bishop) in Western Europe. Following the Roman period, it was conquered and re-conquered by Swabian, Visigoth, Moor, and finally Christian forces.
León was conquered by the Muslims in 712, but reconquered in 754, although it would remain partially depopulated for nearly a century. Around 846, a group of Mozarabs (Christians who did not flee from the Muslims and lived under the Muslim regime) tried to repopulate the city with a Christian population; however, a Muslim attack ended this initiative. In 856, Ordoño I joined the city to his Kingdom of Asturias, rebuilt the city walls, and successfully repopulated it. His grandson Ordoño II, King of Galicia, moved his court to León, effectively starting the Kingdom of León, sharing the same monarch, as successor of the ancient Kingdom of Asturias.
León became the Christian capital of Spain in the 10th century. In the second half of the 10th century, there were again Muslim attacks and counterattacks on the city, including one that caused serious damage in 987. Recovery and reorganization of the capital came in the early 11th century, along with the beginning of the Christian victory on the peninsula. León was for a time regarded as the Christian capital of Spain, as well as the seat of the Reconquista. It became one of the main kingdoms in shaping Spain. It also became an important way-station for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.
The city of León remained the capital of the Kingdom of León from its founding in the early 10th century until the union with Castile in 1230, when the capital of the unified kingdom moved around.
In the late Middle Ages, the city ceased to have the importance of the past, partly due to the loss of its independence after the dynastic unions of the Leonese kingdom with the Crown of Castile. In 1833, when Spain was reorganized from kingdoms into regions and provinces, it acquired the rank of a provincial capital. Along with Zamora and Salamanca, the province of León formed part of the Region of León.
On the way from the bus station to Hostal Boccalino (where we had wanted to stay last year, when they had no vacancies), we found a pilgrim shop, where Don bought a new belt for 7.50€ (the buckle on the old one had been broken for several days). The shopkeeper didn’t have converter plugs for European-style electrical outlets but told us how to say that in Spanish and how to find a nearby “tool store” that had them. (We needed another one so MT could charge her iPhone at the same time Don charged his camera or shaver.) Then we passed Hotel Reina, but they had no air conditioning, and MT didn’t want their double room for 40€.
10:29 AM – León: sign showing distance from León to Santiago de Compostela as 309 km on Camino Francés (or 441 km on Camino de San Salvador through Oviedo).
The Camino de San Salvador (or Camino del Salvador, aka Camino Real, aka La Ruta Jacobea Real) links León to the Catedral de San Salvador in Oviedo (121 or 128 km to the north). It owes its origin to the numerous medieval pilgrims who deviated, from the Camino Francés, north to Oviedo to visit the cathedral of San Salvador and its relics. When Jacobean pilgrimages were in their infancy, Oviedo was one of the way stations, where a visit to the cathedral was obligatory. During the Moorish occupation of Spain, many holy relics from the south were carried north to Oviedo for safety, where they were stored in an ark in the cathedral, and Oviedo became the second most important place of pilgrimage after Santiago. When the earliest route to Santiago (Camino Primitivo) was inaugurated in the 9th century, pilgrims from all over Europe had to arrive on the Cantabrian Coast be sea and began the land journey from Oviedo, since places further south were still dominated by the invading Moors. Later, even with the growing popularity of the Camino Francés, many pilgrims deviated from the French route, obeying an old saying: “Quien va a Santiago y no va al Salvador, honra al criado y deja al Señor” [Whoever goes to Santiago and does not go to Salvador, honors the servant and neglects the Master]. The first part of the saying refers to the Cathedral of Santiago and the Cathedral de San Salvador in Oviedo; in the second part, the “servant” refers to St. James, and the “Master” refers to the Savior (Salvador in Spanish). From Oviedo, one can continue to Santiago by way of either the Camino de Santiago de la Costa (aka Camino del Norte, rejoining the Camino Francés at Arzúa) or the Camino Primitivo (rejoining it at Melide). Fewer pilgrims do the Camino del Salvador compared to those doing the Camino Primitivo or Camino del Norte; the mountainous terrain, crossing the Cordillera de Cantábria mountains, makes this route even more difficult that those two. Signeage has improved, but hostels are not ideally spaced for walking (far apart) and other lodging also may not be ideally located. The Camino del Salvador has its own credencial, available at the albergue in León (or one can use the official credencial valid for any Camino de Santiago), and upon completion of the route, a Salvadorana (certificate analogous to the Compostela in Santiago) is available at the Oviedo albergue.
We went on to Hostal Boccalino, on Plaza San Isidoro, where they had a double room with bath for 55€, but we decided on the half board for 80€ (since their menú del día was 12€ each). We got sellos: “Hostal-Restaurante Boccalino.”
3:47 PM – León: Plaza San Isidoro with 2 parts of Hostal Boccalino (far left and far right).
3:47 PM – León: Hostal Boccalino – part with restaurant where we got half board.
3:48 PM – León: Hostal Boccalino – part where we stayed (on back side). Apparatus on gray stand was lights for illuminating the Real Basilica de San Isidoro on the other side of the square.
10:53 AM – León: Hostal Boccalino - desk clerk and MT at arrival (paying with Capital One card with our photos on it).
10:59 AM – León: Hostal Boccalino - Don in our room – No. 311.
11:00 AM – León: Hostal Boccalino - MT in our room – No. 311.
11:01 AM – León: Hostal Boccalino - shower with hydromassage.
11:02 AM – León: Hostal Boccalino - view from our window toward city center – Gaudi building (Casa de Botines) barely visible through trees to right of tower of Palacio de los Guzmanes (currently housing parliament of the Province of León) across from it.
The brochure from “Hotel-Restaurante Boccalino” (although the sign above the front door said “Hostal Boccalino”) said, in Spanish and English: “Con unas inmejorables vistas a San Isidoro, Parque del Cid, Palacio de los Guzmanes … With impressive views of San Isidoro, Parque del Cid, Palace of Guzman.” (The front of the hostal faced Basilica San Isidoro, which we saw only from the terraza of the bar. Our room was on the back side of the hostal, on the top floor, facing toward the Palacio de los Guzmanes, but this was hardly an impressive (the Spanish was “inmejorables” = superb, unsurpassable) view. The park, between the hostal and that palace, was also hidden by the trees.
11:04 AM – León: Hostal Boccalino - MT in our room – No. 311.
MT showered, so that we could take our dirty and wet clothes, some of which were still wet from the rain the day before, to the laundry nearby (the receptionist said to tell them we were at the Boccalino for a good price).
12:22 PM –León: MT with our laundry by Real Basilica de San Isidoro façade.
12:21 PM – León: Real Basilica de San Isidoro façade, from in front of the part of Hostal Boccalino where we stayed.
The 11th-century Real Basilica de San Isidoro (Royal Basilica of St. Isidoro, aka Real Colegiata de San Isidoro) is embedded into Roman foundations and the medieval city wall. Its origins are linked to the Roman Legio VII Gemina, settled around 68 AD in a permanent camp that gave rise to the city of León. The church is located on the site of an ancient Roman temple. The apse and transept of the church are in the Gothic style, while other parts are Romanesque or of the Renaissance period.
In 956, King Sancho I “El Gordo” (“The Fat One”; died 966) founded a monastery here, to shelter the remains of San Pelayo (St. Pelagius). Pelayo was a 13-year-old who in 925 had been martyred for his Christian faith in the Muslim-controlled city of Cordoba. The saint’s remains did not actually arrive in León until 967. The monasterio (which could also mean convent) was inhabited by a group of Benedictine nuns headed by Sancho’s sister (in these times, this was a common vocation for unmarried princesses). The monastery was built alongside another small and very old church that was dedicated to San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). These buildings were adjacent to the Roman wall of the Legio VII Gemina. Around the year 1000, the city of León was razed by Almanzor’s Moorish troops—and with it, the monastery of San Pelayo and the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista. The nuns took the relics of San Pelayo and moved them north to Oviedo for safety.
In 1011, King Alfonso V (ruled 999-1027), having reclaimed the city, commissioned the reconstruction of the monastery and church on the site of the old church dedicated to St. John the Baptist and re-established a nunnery, since some of the nuns had returned from Oviedo. This church, called the iglesia antiqua (old church) had very small proportions and was built of mud and bricks. However, Alfonso V brought here the remains of the monarchs of León, which had been scattered all over the kingdom in different churches, creating a funeral chapel at the foot (west end) of the church that would be called the Pantheón Real (Royal Pantheon) some centuries later. The church and monastery benefitted from their position on the Camino de Santiago; sculptors, stonemasons, and artists from across Europe gathered to work on them. The northern and western walls and the western door (bricked up) of the old church have been preserved to the present day.
In 1037, Fernando I became king, and his wife Sancha (the daughter of Alfonso V who had been abbess of the monastery of San Pelayo) influenced him tear down the church of Alfonso V and to erect in its place a Romanesque stone building for the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista. However, this was not to be a large church open to the faithful, but a small one for the use of its patrons Fernando and Sancha, who lived in a palace next to the monastery. They also rebuilt the space dedicated to the Royal Pantheon.
The church was consecrated in 1063 and, to mark the occasion, the relics of San Isidoro (St. Isidore) were transferred to it from Sevilla to be buried in Christian Spain since the south was still under Moorish influence at that time. Therefore, the church was dedicated to San Isidoro and its name changed.
Continuing in her family’s steps, the Infanta (Princess) Doña Urraca (died 1101) commissioned the construction of most of the current church, extending on the original church. During this time, the three doors of the Romanesque plan were made, two on the south and one on the north side, and changes were made in the Royal Pantheon. After her death, her great-nephew King Alfonso VII continued the works of the iglesia nueva (new church) that would be consecrated in 1149. By then, the monastery had been elevated to an abbey, and the community of Benedictine nuns had been replaced by a Chapter of Regular Canons of the order of St. Augustine, who ruled the church and the abbey until 1956.
In addition to the major reforms made during the Romanesque period, the architectural complex of San Isidoro underwent several modifications in the 15th and 16th centuries in the Gothic and Renaissance styles. All that can be seen from the outside are the southern façade and southern apse. The rest of the church is surrounded by other buildings, and the western part (except the tower) is hidden by the wall.
The 19th century was the worst in the history of this building. In the early years, it suffered the occupation of French troops with subsequent plunder. The rooms and chapels became barracks, barn, and stables. When the troops withdrew, they burned the church. In 1835 came the confiscation of Mendizábal, which resulted in further plundering and looting. The community was revived in 1851, but restoration did not take place until 1894 and lasted until 1920. In 1936, the complex returned to housing military troops during the Spanish Civil War. In 1942, it was granted the title of Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII.
By 1956, the religious community had dwindled to the abbot and three old canons. Back in the 12th century, the Pope had made the monastery and abbey church exempt from all episcopal (bishop’s) jurisdiction, but now the Bishop of León had to step in as the Superior Mayor del Cabildo Regular (head of the chapter of regular canons), although the office of abbot (in a decreased role) remained until 2003. Other canons, now a group of secular priests, would be responsible for restoring and maintaining the intellectual and spiritual life of the Collegiate Church, its basilica, and the Museum-Pantheon.
The Pantheón Real holds the tombs of early royalty of Castilla y León. (At one time 23 kings and queens were buried here, but some of their tombs were destroyed by Napoleon’s troops.)
12:21 PM León: Real Basilica de San Isidoro façade with Puerta del Cordero on right and Puerta del Perdón on left (Cropped).
The Puerta del Cordero (Door of the Lamb), the main entrance, is divided into two parts. The upper part is Baroque and is topped by an equestrian statue of San Isidoro, with his bishop’s miter but posed like Santiago Matamoros. The door itself, with three archivolts, is flanked by statues of San Isidoro (left) and San Pelayo (right, although some sources say San Vicente). The door has a tympanum belonging to the 11th-century Romanesque (the earliest tympanum known in the Kingdom of León). The tympanum depicts the sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham (in Moorish Hispania, it was common to represent this scene instead of Christ crucified), but above it is the symbol of the Lamb of God held by two angels.
León: Real Basilica de San Isidoro- upper body of Puerta del Cordero (es.wikipedia.org).
León: Real Basilica de San Isidoro - tympanum of Puerta del Cordero (es.wikipedia.org).
León: Real Basilica de San Isidoro - tympanum of Puerta del Perdón (commons.wikimedia.org).
The Puerta del Perdón (Door of Forgiveness) is located at the south end of the transept. The name came from the fact that pilgrims too ill to travel on to Santiago could still receive the same indulgences by entering here.
It belongs to the time of the Romanesque plan, and its reliefs are attributed to Master Esteban, who later created the Puerta de las Platerías on the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. A checkered cornice divides this façade into two bodies. In the upper body, there are three arches, of which the two on the sides remain blind. The central window is closed by a Romanesque door. The lower part is occupied by the portal itself. Its archivolts are flanked by statues of San Pedro (St. Peter on left) and San Pablo (St. Paul on right). The tympanum is divided into three segments showing different reliefs with themes that are already far from all Moorish influence and earlier artists never dared to try. The three scenes are: Ascension of Christ, Descent from the Cross, and Empty Tomb. The Ascension (at left) is unique, since it seems that Christ is helped or pushed skyward by two Apostles.
Tuesday, September 09, 2014, 940 AM - León: near Plaza San Isidoro – tower of Basilica de San Isidoro and old wall along its W side (MT at right).
The Romanesque Torre del Gallo (Tower of the Rooster) is located at the foot (west end) of the church. It is built on part of the Roman wall so that the first body is surrounded by one of the wall’s cubos (cube-shaped towers). In the time of Fernando I, the first two bodies had a defensive function. The third body has three windows on each side, of which only the middle one has a small opening. The fourth body is the bell tower, with two openings on each side, each with triple arches.
The tower is crowned by a modern slate spire and a very old weathervane with the famous rooster. This weathervane has been for centuries the most precious symbol of the city of León. It always seems to function without any problem. During the restoration of the tower in the early years of this century, this piece was dismantled with the intention of cleaning it, but it was found to be so well preserved that it was kept for further study. Instead, it was replaced by a copy.
León: tower of Basilica de San Isidoro with rooster weathervane (es.wikipedia.org).
11:14 AM – León: Don by old city wall (near San Isidoro).
When we got to the laundry recommended by our receptionist, on Avenida de Suero de Quiñones (near Hotel Don Suero, where we stayed last year), they wanted 15€. So we decided to try the Albergue Santa María de Carbajal, run by Benedictine nuns. On the way there, we came to the “tool store,” where we bought a converter plug for 1.50€ (a lot cheaper than at Radio Shack).
The people at the albergue said they would wash and dry everything for 5€, and we had to come back for them. We also bought new credenciales there (which were better than the “spares” from St. Jean) for 2€ each. We got sellos in the new credenciales: “Benedictinas Santa María de Carbajal Albergue León,” even though we didn’t start using these until the end of the next day, when our first ones became full.
We went to look for a place to eat called Mesón [something] in Plaza San Martín, where we had a 6€ ham plate and free wine last year. However, the place had a new owner and a new name (Mesón La Comtienda) and no such deal. So we ate at Restaurante Latino in the same square: 2 glasses of wine (served with potato salad with garlic) and a platter of cold cuts and cheese; bread (____€).
2:44 PM – León: Mesón La Comtienda (where we ate last year, under another name).
2:44 PM – León: Restaurante Latino (where we ate lunch this year, on the shaded terraza).
1:42 PM – León: Restaurante Latino – MT’s potato salad.
1:41 PM – León: Restaurante Latino – Don’s potato salad (close up).
1:46 PM – León: Restaurante Latino – Don with wine (potato salads finished).
1:49 PM – León: Restaurante Latino – platter of cold cuts and cheese, wine, and bread (and other diners).
1:49 PM – León: Restaurante Latino – platter of cold cuts and cheese (close up).
1:49 PM – León: Restaurante Latino – Don with platter of cold cuts and cheese with bread and wine.
1:46 PM – León: Plaza San Martín – La Gatera (we thought it might mean “cat house,” but it translates as “cathole”); sign pictures a cat.
The area around Plaza San Martín, popularly known as Plaza de las Tiendas [Square of the Shops] is what is known as el Barrio Húmido (the Wet District). It is a venue of gastronomic excellence in which one can taste a great variety of wines (hence the name “Wet”), accompanied by an imaginative repertoire of succulent tapas. This is the heart of the medieval town, with narrow streets and quaint squares, often with arches and arcades. Its narrow streets recall the names of the medieval trade guilds that were originally located there: Zapaterías [shoemakers], Platerías [silversmiths], and Azabachería [makers of jet trinkets]. Plaza San Martín was also in the heart of the Jewish Quarter (from the 13th century until their expulsion in 1492), and many of these guilds were related to Hebrew craftsmen. The whole square and its surroundings are a magnificent reminder of the bustle of medieval cities.
MT had stomach problems; so we had to take most of the meat and cheese with us and rush back to Hostal Boccalino. MT stayed there, while Don went back to the albergue for our clothes.
On the way, Don passed the Casa de Botines.
2:16 PM – León: Casa de Botines - front.
Casa de Botines is sometimes translated as “house of booties.” The Spanish botín can mean booty, either in the sense of plunder or a legging (the feminine botina means shoe or high shoe). However, the building’s name is actually derived from the surname of Joan Homs i Botinàs, a Catalan (from Catalonia in northeastern Spain) entrepreneur who settled in León and founded a textile company located on the Plaza Mayor. When his brother-in-law Simón Fernández Fernández became a partner, the name of the firm changed to Homs y Fernández. At the founder’s death, the firm passed to the brother-in-law, who took on a new partner Mariano Andrés Luna, and the name of the company changed to Fernández i Andrés. It was actually those two partners who bought the land on the Plaza San Marcelo, next to the Palacio de los Guzmanes, and commissioned the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi to build a new home for the firm there. The building would originally be known as Casa Fernández i Andrés, but eventually became more commonly known by the popular nickname of the original company founded by Botinàs.
Gaudi’s controversial Neo-Gothic architectural masterpiece is one of the first monumental buildings constructed with private funds as a secular, middle class statement. Heretofore, buildings of this magnitude were funded by religious institutions or the aristocracy. The building was commissioned by fabric merchants and constructed in 1891-1894. This overlapped with Gaudi’s work on the Episcopal Palace in Astorga (1889-1893.), built in a similar style. For his new project, Gaudi moved to León, where there were skilled workers and stonemasons who had worked on the restoration of the cathedral.
While built on the back of a new wave of industrial endeavor, the external appearance reminds one of the luxurious castles of the Loire Valley in France. Gaudi followed the design of a medieval palace with slender cylindrical towers topped with pinnacles on the four corners and the image of St. George slaying the dragon above the main door on the Gothic-style façade. The windows, with lobed arches, are inspired by the clerestory windows of the León Cathedral. The building was surrounded by a moat (to improve lighting and ventilation for the basement) and a wrought-iron fence.
Originally, the basement was used as central storage for the textile firm, and the ground floor was occupied by its offices; the 1st [US 2nd) floor was divided into the two residences of the two owners, who rented out the upper floors as apartments. The building remained in the hands of the textile firm until 1931, when it was bought by the savings bank Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad, later known as Caja León, which was absorbed in 1990 by the Caja España. Today, the building houses the headquarters of Caja España and an exhibition center.
2:14 PM – León: Casa de Botines – statue of St. George and dragon above main door.
2:17 PM – León: bronze statue of the architect Gaudi, sitting on a bench (and pigeon on other end) in Plaza San Marcelo near Casa de Botines.
This bronze sculpture (installed in 1998) in Plaza San Marcelo near Casa de Botines features the architect Gaudi, wearing a hat, sitting on a bench drawing the plans for a future building. There is a bronze pigeon perched on the other end of the bench.
When Don got back to the Albergue Santa María de Carbajal, our clothes had been washed but not dried yet. The lady said to come back in 40 minutes. Don walked around the area and eventually found an open grocery store, where he bought 4 yogurts (3.?? €). He also had time to see some of the historical sites in that area.
The albergue bordered on a beautiful cobblestone old square, the Plaza de Santa María del Camino.
2:49 PM – León: Plaza de Santa María del Camino with fountain in center and Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado in background, with stone cross just this side of church – view from near convent.
Although the official name is Plaza de Santa María del Camino, after the church of the same name, it is popularly known as Plaza del Grano (Square of Grain) or Plaza del Mercado del Grano (Square of the Grain Market) after the medieval markets held here in which grain and other farm products were sold. Originally, there were porticos around the whole square, but over the years many of the old arcaded buildings have been replaced. In medieval times, this square was one of the landmarks in the inner city en route to San Isidoro, whose relics were a mandatory stop for pilgrims.
3:15 PM – León: Plaza de Santa María del Camino – photo on albergue bulletin board shows that this is also known as “Plaza del Grano.”
3:19 PM – León: Plaza de Santa María del Camino – fountain.
The fountain, from 1789, has statues of two cherubs representing the junction of the rivers Bernesga and Torio in the city. They are bound to a column with a capital of acanthus leaves and bulrushes topped by two coats of arms of the city.
2:23 PM – León: Plaza de Santa María del Camino – back side of fountain with backsides of two cherubs (convent in background).
Under the crossed arms of the cherubs is the head of a lion that pours water into a bowl.
2:35 PM – León: Plaza de Santa María del Camino – view across cobblestone pavement toward fountain (from near church), with part of convent in background right.
2;23 PM – León: Albergue Santa María de Carbajal – view across cobblestone pavement of Plaza de Santa María del Camino (hotel-restaurant entrance on left; albergue entrance at far right).
2:49 PM – León: Convento – side door of hotel part.
2:49 PM – León: Convento – statue above side door of hotel part (telephoto, 112 mm).
2:50 PM – León: Convento – large side door of hotel part “Hospedería Monástica” (seal of “Monasterio Santa María de Carbajal Benedictinas” left of door).
The impetus for the foundation of the Monasterio Santa María de Carbajal dates back to 959, when King Sancho I built a monastery to guard the remains of San Pelayo in León. In 984, when Muslim forces of Almanzor moved across the Kingdom of León, destroying towns, convents, and churches, the Benedictine nuns took the relics of San Pelayo and moved them to Oviedo in the far north for safety. In 1011, Alfonso V restored the Monastery of San Pelayo, and some of the nuns returned from Oviedo. In 1148, Alfonso VII, following the desires of his sister the Infanta Doña Sancha, who was the secular abbess of the Monastery of San Pelayo, moved the nuns to Carbajal de la Legua to the north of the city and replaced them with Regular Canons of the Order of St. Augustine.
In 1600, the Benedictine community of Santa María de Carbajal returned to the city of León. They were installed in the Burgo Nuevo, a neighborhood south of the city, outside the city wall. The buildings bordered the Plaza del Grano and were along the French Way leading to Santiago. Today, over four centuries later, there are 24 nuns living here according to the monastic rule of St. Benedict. They operate the Hotel-Restaurante and the Albergue Santa María de Carbajal.
2:50 PM – León: Convento – side door of hotel part with “Hospedería Monástica” sign and “Hotel Restaurante” sign to right (3-star).
Across the plaza from the albergue is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado.
2:49 PM – León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado (from apse end) across Plaza de Santa María del Camino; visible just to the right of the church is the stone cross marking the site where the Virgin is said to have appeared (Cropped).
León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado (from apse end) – rectangular primary apse and semicircular side apse on northeast side (www.redjuderias.org).
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado (Church of Our Lady of the Market), formerly called Iglesia Virgen del Camino, was built over Roman remains, perhaps related to a pre-Christian place of worship. The Romanesque part of the church, including the façade, is documented in 1092; Gothic parts were added 1366-1484; the current Renaissance (neo-Classical) bell tower was built in 1598 and renovated in 1880. The exterior preserves Romanesque windows and door openings, along with two semicircular Romanesque side apses, which are adorned with scenes of the sin of the world, such as a contortionist naked woman. The latter are on both sides of the primary apse, which was modified in the 15th century and again in the 18th.
This is one of the oldest parishes in the city and province of León. Its official name was originally Santa María del Camino or Virgen del Camino since, according to legend, an image of the Virgin appeared in 566 on the road leading into the city from the east, on the spot now marked by a stone cross on the west side of the Plaza de Santa María del Camino. (In medieval times, this cross also may have served as the rollo of the city.) However, there was another miraculous apparition of the Virgin in 1505 on the Camino route a few miles from town. Therefore, the “Market” name was adopted in the 17th century to distinguish this church from the one erected at the site of that apparition (in the town called La Virgen del Camino west of León).
2:34 PM – León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado – Romanesque semicircular apse on northeast side, with corbels.
2:34 PM – León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado – an unusual (naked contortionist) corbel (telephoto, 186 mm).
2:33 PM – León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado – old Romanesque (possibly Roman?) arch on north side of exterior.
2:32 PM – León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado - tower and façade on west side, facing the Camino route on Calle de los Herreros (taken from left side); on left is sign for “Bar La Sacristía” (The Sacristy).
3:08 PM – León: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado – tower and façade (from right, on Calle de los Herreros, near city wall).
2:47 PM – León: sign above door of artisan woodcarver’s shop.
2:53 PM – León: manhole cover (“llave de paso” = stopcock, passkey).
Walking south from Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Mercado on Calle de los Herreros [Street of the Blacksmiths], which continued as Calle Puerta Moneda, Don came to a section of the old Roman wall. The street passed through an opening in the wall, which he later learned was the remains of the Puerta Moneda.
The city walls of León date back to Roman military fortifications of the 1st century BC. What can be seen today is a “new” wall built in the late 3rd century or early 4th century. It is. It actually consisted of two walls: a lower, outside one called a rampart 4 m high and almost 2 m thick, and an inner one 6-10 m high and 3-5 m thick, with a crenelated parapet. Between them was a space of almost 4 m for walking and fighting.
2:55 PM – León: old city wall (inner side) with Puerta Moneda (east side).
3:04 PM – León: old city wall – other side on inner wall with thinner outer wall (rampart) and Calle de las Cercas to NE.
Among the 9 gates in the city wall was the Puerta Moneda [Money Gate]. This was the gate through which pilgrims and all those who came from the east and south entered the old city. Around it, the moneychangers exercised their lucrative trade (moneda = coin, money). There was once a gate here that closed the wall at the point of confluence with the Calle de las Cercas. The arch was destroyed in 1868, as were other parts of the wall, in an era of industrial modernization in which urban sprawl was more important to citizens and city leaders than preserving ancient walls, which today would be considered monuments. (The top of the east side of the gate was further dismantled in the late 20th century.)
Around the outside of the southeast curve of the wall is a street called Calle de las Cercas [Street of the Walls], which in early medieval times was the border of the Jewish Quarter to the south of the Roman wall.
After the devastating raids of Almanzor’s Muslim forces in the 10th century, León built a second walled enclosure and extended the city limits with the so-called Burgo Nuevo [New Village], invading the former Jewish Quarter. When the armies of Aragon and Castile attacked León in 1196, troops broke through the outer fortification and destroyed the Jewish Quarter. The Jews who had been killed moved to the inner city, where the majority of them settled around the Plaza San Martín, where they prospered in trades and crafts in a new Jewish Quarter.
3:05 PM – León: old city wall just to W of Puerta Moneda, with thinner outer wall and corner at end of this view. (Sign at top right is for Calle de las Cercas, which was outside the outer wall.)
3:05 PM – León: more old city wall around that corner to the W, and another corner at end of this view.
On the way back from the albergue, after collecting our laundry, Don stopped walked along the pedestrianized Calle Ancha.
The Calle Ancha [Broad Street] in the heart of the Old Town (Casca Antigua) was formerly the decumanus (main east-west street) of the Roman camp of Legio VI Victrix and later of the Legio VII Gemina. Today, it runs between the Cathedral and the Plaza San Marcelo.
3:40 PM – León: one of several bronze footprints commemorating the Roman stay in León, in sidewalk of Calle Ancha, near Hotel Paris and Cathedral.
3:41 PM – León: busy Calle Ancha with Hotel Spa Paris (Palacio de los Guzmanes at far end of street, with the tower of 16th-century Iglesia de San Marcelo beyond that).
On Calle Ancha, Don stopped at the 3-star Hotel Spa Paris, since MT wanted to know their price (double room 55€).
3:41 PM – León: Hotel Spa Paris.
At the west end of Calle Ancha, he came to the Palacio de los Guzmanes.
León: Palacio de los Guzmanes – façade on Plaza San Marcelo, with corner of Casa Botines on left (commons.wikimedia.org).
The 16th-century Palacio de los Guzmanes is a Renaissance palace with its main façade facing the Plaza Marcelo near the Casa de Botines at the west end of Calle Ancha. The Guzman family was one of the oldest noble lineages in León. The palace has four towers, one at each corner. In 1881, it was purchased by the Diputación Provincial de León (provincial parliament), and it currently houses the offices of that council.
From there, he turned north to head back to Hostal Boccalino.
Then MT and Don went to visit the Cathedral.
BECAUSE WE SPENT SO MUCH TIME AT THE CATHEDRAL, THE PHOTOS AND NOTES FROM THE REST OF THE DAY WILL BE IN A SEPARATE BLOG POST.
After
mass at the Cathedral, we returned to Hostal Boccalino
and sat outside their bar for a while. Back in our room, we watched a quiz show
on TV. Then we went to the half-board dinner at the Boccalino restaurant (across the square) and got the menu (probably
the menú del día worth 12€ each): 1st course: both had tomato and cheese salad;
2nd course: MT had lenguada (sole),
not much on bones, with boiled potatoes and salad/ Don pimientos rellenos [stuffed peppers (with bacalao)]; dessert: both
had ice cream (MT vanilla/Don fresas [strawberry]).
9:42 PM – León: Plaza de San Isidoro with
Basilica de San Isidoro illuminated (view from outdoor table in front of
hostal’s bar).
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