The Monastery of San Pedro de Eslonza in Gradefes

In the heart of Gradefes lies the Monastery of San Pedro de Eslonza, a ninth-century site. It was King García I of León who, in 912, gave it life, making it the second most significant monastery in the province, trailing behind only the Monastery of San Benito in Sahagún. In 1099, a gift was bestowed upon it by the Infanta Doña Urraca - the Church of San Juan de Berbío, located in Piloña, Asturias, Spain. This monastery, however, fell victim to Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, the Moorish ruler, in 988.

The monastery was restored in 1099 by Urraca of Zamora. By the 16th century, the edifice was in a ruinous state and was therefore restored with three new Renaissance portals. The main façade was added in Baroque style, and its niches once housed statues of saints which have now disappeared.

Despite being declared a national monument in 1931, the monastery's prosperity suffered a blow in 1836 with the Ecclesiastical Confiscation of Mendizábal, by which it was sold and its artistic heritage split between numerous buyers. Between 1944 and 1970, bishop Luis Almarcha Hernández moved its portals to the church of San Juan y San Pedro de Renueva, at León, saving them from destruction.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons