Leon

Leon is the capital of its eponymous province and historical capital of the Kingdom of Leon. We stayed in the Convento de San Marcos, now a Parador.

The Convento de San Marcos was built in the 16th century. Later, Franco imprisoned over 10,000 people at a time here during the Civil War.

Leon was founded by the 6th Roman Legion in 29 B.C., and permanently settled by the 7th Legion in 74 A.D.

Crosses of St. James

Leon fell to the Moors in 717, but was reconquered by the Kingdom of Asturias 25 years later in 742.

A pilgrim on the Way of St. James takes a rest.

Leon has a lot of great free tapas bars. Casa Blas is famous for its homemade chips.

Embutidos Entrepenas slices ham for you.

Taberna Gaucho serves classics like garlic soup and black pudding.

I don't think the lion of Leon lives in the sewer.

There are many derpy lion sigils around town.

The Kingdom of Leon succeeded the Kingdom of Asturias in the 10th century.

The County of Castile gained independence from Leon in 931, and the County of Portugal gained independence in 1143. Rulers of these realms switched between Christian and Moorish alliances to vie for land and power.

Leon Cathedral was built from the 13th to 15th centuries in Gothic style.

Leon was deliberately repopulated to make it a worthy capital of a kingdom.

In 1188 King Alfonso IX held a Cortes to mobilize manpower and money to fight Castile and Portugal. This is first documented example of parliamentarism in history. Nobility, clergy, and merchants were all represented.

Leon and Castile merged and split numerous times due to war, marriage, and inheritance law. Leon permanently merged with Castile in 1301 when the ruler of Leon exchanged the lands for the Lordship of Biscay.

Leon Cathedral was built over Roman baths.

The original Leon Cathedral was built by the King of Leon after defeat of the Moors in the Battle of San Esteban de Gormaz in 917.

St. James may have helped.

Almanzor, a general and chancellor of the Umayyad Caliphate, sacked the church in the 10th century.

Most pilgrims on the Way of Saint James stop at the Leon Cathedral.

The Basilica of San Isidoro was built in the 10th century. You can't take pictures inside.

A stork lives on a column outside.

The rooster weathervane on the basilica was made in Persia in the 7th century.