| The San Marcos convent
was originally a hospital for pilgrims (Leon has always been an important
point on the pilgrims' road to Santiago de Compostela). Later, it
was a convent, a prison and barracks, and a hotel. It was the head
of the order of Santiago in the kingdom of Leon. The main part of
the building, which has been recognised as a national artistic monument,
follows plateresque canons, with the habitual mixture of Gothic elements,
and Baroque additions are not lacking. It is an imposing building,
for its size, with its well cut stone, the towers, the cloister and
the main two-tier portal. Four columns of the giant order frame the
door and the balcony, with beautiful sculptures. Despite the effects
of erosion, the sculptural beauty of the medallions, with busts of
figures of old, and other contemporary busts of those who worked on
it, is perhaps the most impressive feature. |