Ayuntamiento de León

It was built on the site of the old Romanesque Cathedral, which was in turn built where King Ordoño II’s palace had stood on land originally occupied by Roman thermae. Building began around 1205 in the Gothic style, inspired by the French cathedral of Reims, although it is a third smaller.

This is the most important Romanesque ensemble in Spain, although it is in fact a synthesis of styles, the most recent being the Baroque. Built at the orders of King Ferdinand and Queen Sancha, it was once home to a major school of ivory, jet and precious metalwork.

Ferdinand the Catholic donated money towards its construction. The architects were Juan de Orozco (the church), Martín de Villarreal (the front) and Juan de Badajoz (cloister and sacristy). It has the longest Plateresque (Spanish Renaissance) façade in Spain. It is a single stretch of wall on two levels, topped out with pierced cresting and candelabra. The lower storey is decorated with medallions of Graeco-Lating and Spanish historical personages, and the upper one is adorned with heads of angels.