San Marcos: Plateresque Facade, Church and Museum

San Marcos was the seat of the knights of the Order of Santiago in the kingdom of León and a hospital for pilgrims, at the natural exit from the city towards Santiago de Compostela. It has one of the longest Plateresque facades in Spain, facing a square beside the River Bernesga, and the town council presents it as the best example of Renaissance art in the province. Today the complex is a Parador, and what you can visit freely and for free is the church and the museum rooms.

The facade and the history

Nothing of the medieval building remains in view: what you see is the Renaissance San Marcos. According to the Junta, Juan de Juni and Pedro Larrea worked on the Plateresque facade, and it is covered with classically inspired reliefs. The town council explains that the eastern part was built in the early 16th century and the stretch towards the river in the early 18th, and that the complex was heavily remodelled when it was turned into a Parador in the 1960s. Throughout its history it was also a prison, in which Francisco de Quevedo was held, a cavalry barracks and a hospital. Take your time on the square: the facade reads better from afar, and then close up, detail by detail.

The church and the museum

The church, attached to the main facade, is of the late Gothic that the town council calls the Catholic Monarchs style. San Marcos was for more than a century the seat of the Museo de León, which now has its main building on the Plaza de Santo Domingo; at San Marcos a branch of the museum is maintained in the rooms of the old convent. The Junta cites among its pieces the Cristo de Carrizo, an 11th-century figure, and objects of prehistoric, Roman and medieval art; the rooms on show may change, so ask on entering what is open. The rest of the building is the Parador, with its own operation.

Opening hours and price

The church and museum are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00; in summer, from 1 July to 30 September, the afternoon becomes 17:00 to 20:00. It is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. Phone: 987 245 061. The visit to the church and rooms takes about 45 minutes, and the facade a while longer.

Getting there and what to combine

From the cathedral it is a quarter of an hour's walk along Calle Ancha and Avenida del Padre Isla, or following the Camino de Santiago arrows, which pass in front. It is an easy visit with children, because it is short and free, and the square is wide. From here, the MUSAC is about 20 minutes' walk: on Sunday both are free and fit into the same morning.