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The Snail Tower

Benavente, Benavente y Los Valles, Zamora

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The Snail Tower

Monument · Benavente, Benavente y Los Valles, Zamora

The only surviving part of the castle-palace of la Mota, which the Pimentel family held in Benavente and which, at its height, was one of the most sumptuous alcázars in Spain, with gardens covering much of the valley of the river Órbigo, of which fountains and sculptures are still preserved in private hands. The complex was left in ruins by French troops in 1809, during the Peninsular War, except for this tower, a work of the early 16th century commissioned by the 4th and 5th Counts of Benavente, of the House of Pimentel, which blends Gothic and Renaissance styles and preserves family coats of arms on its façade. Declared a Monumento Nacional (a former heritage-protection designation, now folded into the Bien de Interés Cultural status), it is today state property and forms part of the Parador de Benavente; on its main floor it holds a Mudéjar coffered ceiling from the vanished convent of San Román del Valle.

Photo: Achica at Spanish Wikipedia (Public domain)

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