Ayuntamiento de León

The flow of pilgrims on their way to Santiago during the Middle Ages meant a great cultural enrichment for the Kingdoms on the Pilgrim Route. The Road to Santiago was a determining factor for the development of Romanesque art, and artists and knowledgeable pilgrims left their mark on the cities they passed through.

The authorities of the day made a point of cultivating pilgrims, building monasteries and hospices along the Pilgrim Route. Perhaps some of those in authority also joined the pilgrimages, but in any event it was the pilgrimages that made it possible for towns to grow.

Even today, León, an important milestone for centuries on the route, allows the visitor to walk through the same streets that pilgrims of yore walked through on their way to the Apostle’s tomb.