Logbook · 3 places

What to see and do in Benavides

What to see and do in Benavides (Astorga, León): 3 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

Towns near Benavides

Spain › Castile and León › León › Astorga › Benavides

What to see and do in Benavides

Benavides
Village
Benavides is a town of the Ribera del Órbigo, in the province of León, on the right bank of the river and at 839 metres of altitude, which also groups together the villages of Antoñán del Valle, Vega de Antoñán, Gualtares de Órbigo, Quintanilla del Monte and Quintanilla del Valle. Its name comes from the Arabic Bani-Vidas, “sons of Vidas”, and the town was probably founded between the years 883 and 900; in the early 18th century it was the largest settlement in the whole Ribera del Órbigo. In 1460 the first count of Luna and his wife Juana Enríquez founded a Franciscan monastery within the walls, which disappeared around 1835. With around 2,320 inhabitants, it has held a market on Thursdays ever since Ferdinand IV granted it the privilege in 1306, grows hops and maize, and its church of San Martín was built around 1761.
Spring of los Ocho Caños
Curiosity
Installed in 1914 in front of the town hall, it is the town's landmark and one of the few eight-spouted fountains in the Ribera del Órbigo. It is flanked by the arcades of Avenida del Órbigo and the washing place on the Barbadiel stream.
Founding of the Franciscan convent of Benavides
Historical milestone
The first count of Luna and his wife Juana Enríquez founded a Franciscan friary within the walls of the town, where they would eventually be buried. The community disappeared around 1835 with the expulsions and disentailments.