León · San Marcos · Spain

Convento de San Marcos

conventmonasteryplateresque architecturegoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: evening, morning

historic, grand, contemplative

A local would say...

This monastery was once a prison — and its most famous inmate was the poet Francisco de Quevedo, who scrawled verses on the walls during his captivity.

Now home to a parador hotel, this palatial former monastery has a superb plateresque exterior sectioned by slender columns and decorated with delicate medallions and friezes from 1513. The historic chapter house and magnificent cloister can be viewed by non-guests, and the building is particularly lovely when floodlit at night. Originally built by the Knights of Santiago, it served as a Camino de Santiago staging post for centuries.