Hostal San Marcos de León

the monastery of San Marcos.
Plaza san Marcos - León

The Monastery of San Marcos was preceded by a very simple hospital, built in XIe century by doña Sancha, wife of Ferdinand Ier de Castille “ AD recipiendum pauperes Christi ”, to receive the poor of Christ. There remains about it still a building with the wrought iron balconies, visible beside the église.
As of XIIe century, the pilgrims had in San Marcos a unit reserved for the worship, the hello of the hearts and the protection of the pilgrims.

History

In XIIe century rose here the head office of the knights of the Ordre of Saint-Jacob of the Sword, monks knights, guards of the pilgrims on the road of Compostelle.

Three centuries later, when the Kings Catholiques remove the prerogatives of the military orders and become the large Masters about it, Ferdinand II of Aragon orders to rebuild a monastery according to the plans of the Master Pedro de Larrea, worthy of the power and the richness acquired by the knights at the time of the Reconquista. The sumptuous monument was built into full Renaissance at the beginning with the reign of Charles Quint.

Description

The frontage deploys on a hundred meters, with a remarkable unit of style in spite of the addition of a pediment baroque to the XVIIIe century, two stages of niches and windows laid out in a squaring of planks and cornices, imbedded columns and pilasters. The medallions in high relief reproduce the features of some large characters of the Bible, of Rome or Spain: Lucrèce and Judith frames Isabelle the Catholic, Trajan and Auguste holds company in Charles Quint.

Above the central gate, holy Jacques terrace the Moors and, perched at the top of the pediment, is the Fame.

At the right end, the frontage of the church strewn with shells, symbols of the pilgrimage, remained unfinished.

Above a terrace decorated with a pretty balustrade extends behind which an attic appears constellates with blazons and shells.

The nave of the church

The church decorated with shells, was finished and devoted in 1541, but work continued until the XVIIIe century.

The interior makes up of a roomy Gothic nave , side chapels, of a transept and a polygonal apse. Inspired by San Juan of los Reyes of Tolède, the church was designed to be used as the Pantheon to Kings Catholiques.

One finds the same shells inside on the wall behind the high altar.

The cloister

Work of the cloister, whose Juan Badajoz carried out two galleries, finished at the beginning of the XVIIIe siècle.
National Parador, a luxurious hotel five stars, occupies a part of it

The Museum

The museum of León (Museo de León) is located on the site of the monastery of San Marcos.
The first room, to the lierne vaults, exposes among works of art of excellent quality, time Mozarab with the late Gothic. The votive cross of Santiago de Peñalba of Xe century, and the extraordinary Christ of Carrizo (XIe century), ivory statuette whose penetrating glance, the hair finely plaits and draped tunic betray the influence byzantine.
The galleries of the cloister built between XVIe and the XVIIIe century, are used as concise museum (beautiful medallions with the keystones.) To notice in the north-eastern corner a low-relief representing the Nativity, works of Juan de Juni (interesting prospect.) Several other works of Juan de Juni are exposed there.
The sacristy, designed by Juan de Badajoz (1549), is sumptuous: vault ribbed raised of shells, ribbons and cherubs, pendant carved of heads expressives.
It exposes also various objects: archaeological parts, sculptures, paintings and monnaies.
A large picture window lets see beautiful “the artesonado” Rebirth of the old chapter house, today a living room of Parador National.

External bonds

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