The Hospital turned tourist attraction with Gothic and Renaissance art

The Hospital of La Piedad, located at Calle Santa Cruz 5, Benavente, is a Bien de Interés Cultural in Spain. It was founded by the fifth Count of Benavente, Don Alonso Pimentel, and his wife, Doña Ana de Velasco y Herrera in the 16th century. Originally, it served as a hospital for pilgrims and the sick passing through Benavente. From 1902 to 2019, it housed an old age home, attended by the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. Today, it is primarily a tourist attraction.

The Hospital features stunning Renaissance and Gothic art. The facade of the building features a beautiful semi-circular arch with a multitude of square dovetails framed by a large ledge. Above the arch, an inscription in French or Gothic minuscule is found in the cornice of the façade, above which stands a high relief depicting the scene of the Piety. The interior of the building features a square courtyard, surrounded by galleries on two floors, all made of stone.

The arches are round, with a slight pilaster; four arches can be found on each side of the courtyard, except for the side parallel to the entrance to the chapel, where there are three arches. The decoration is not always the same, but varies on each side of the courtyard. The capilla del Hospital de La Piedad has some artistic elements of interest. The ironwork gate of the chapel is adorned with a frieze decorated with Gothic motifs. The burial place of Don Juan Pimentel, the nephew of the count founders and lord of the Vidriales priory left to this hospital in its lands, is located at the foot of the chapel gate.

In the interior of the chapel is a sculpture of 'The Death of Saint Joseph', one of the few sculptures that represent this scene in the world.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons