Villafranca information
It is the last important town in Leon that is crossed by the Pilgrim's Road to Santiago de Compostela. Its rich monumental heritage have made it an important tourist centre.
The main square, or Plaza Mayor, the City Hall, calle del Agua, the arch at its end, the mansions, such as a 15th-century Moorish one, the convent of Agustinas Recoletas, and other palaces, make up the tourist circuit. At the town's entrance we find the popular church of Santiago, a 12th-century Romanesque temple where pilgrims who fall sick and can not continue receive the same jubilee absolution that they would in Santiago de Compostela, as they prostrate themselves before the gate of Perdón (Forgiveness) at this temple in Villa Franca del Bierzo.
They worth a visit the wonderful Gothic collegiate church of Santa María, which was built by Gil de Hontañón; the church of San Francisco; the convent of La Anunciada, and the Natural Science Museum.
Leon guide