29/6/23

Castle of Grajal de Campos (León)

Eastern view of the castle


The castle of Grajal de Campos is a military construction from the 16th century, designed by the architect Lorenzo de Aldonza on the remains of another previous castle from the 10th century. It is considered the first artillery castle in Spain. It was built between 1517 and 1521 by order of Hernando de Vega, and finished by his son Juan de Vega, first count of Grajal de Campos. It has a quadrangular plan with four towers where the largest caliber cannons were located. In the past, it was isolated by a moat with a drawbridge and an entrance door, all of which is currently buried, and its exact location has not been found. According to an 18th century manuscript, it was located on the southern side of the complex. It is built on a pronounced slope and the mote itself and the rubble were used to embank the indoor of the fortress and achieve the current platform that surrounds its walls.

East keep of the castle

Upper terrace of the east keep

Semicircular embrasure in the shape of a letterbox on the east keep

South-east wall of the castle

Eastern canvas of the south-east wall

Scaraguaita on the eastern canvas of the south-east wall

Horizontal embrasure on the south-east wall

Detail of the reinforcement of the wall that is attached to the keep

Detail of the slope on which the walls of the castle are based

Eastern canvas of the south-east wall

Being the first fully artillery castle in Spain, it preserves one

 of the period cannons on the south-east wall

Detail of the cornice topped with corbels that borders the entire castle

South view of the castle

South keep of the castle

Detail of the battlements on the upper terrace of the south tower

Detail of the drainage channel under the corbels or the embrasures of the castle

Embrasure on the slope of the south tower of the castle

South-west wall of the castle

Scaraguaita on the south-west wall

West keep of the castle

North-west wall of the castle

Postern on the slope of the north-west wall

North view of the castle

North keep of the castle

North-east view of the castle

North-east wall of the castle

Battlements on the north-east wall of the castle

Grajal de Campos

Main Square


Grajal de Campos is a municipality in the León province, in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, belonging to the judicial district of Sahagún and the natural region of Tierra de Campos. There is evidence that the first settlers were Celtiberians, located on the nearby hill of Turrutalba, about two kms. of the current population. In that same place there could have been a Roman fortress founded by the brothers Tiberio and Sempronio Graco. In fact, the current name could originate from the term Gracca, derived from the surname of the two brothers. Grajal de Campos is located on the Camino de Santiago in Madrid that connects with the French Camino de Santiago in Sahagún.

Town Hall

San Miguel's Church

One of the two access doors to the church of San Miguel

Tower-bell tower of the church of San Miguel

House-Palace of the Counts of Grajal

Detail of one of the old towers of the House-Palace of the Counts of Grajal

Entrance to the alley that separates the church of San Miguel and the

 House-Palace of the Counts of Grajal

Indoor of the alley-passageway that linked the Plaza Mayor with the entrance

 to the House-Palace of the Counts of Grajal

Remains of the underground dungeons of the House-Palace of the Counts of Grajal

Traditional architecture reflected in this manor house

Hermitage of the Virgen de las Puertas located in the old tower 

of the Puerta de San Andrés

Tower-bell tower of the hermitage of the Virgen de las Puertas

Convent of the Virgen de la Antigua de San Francisco

Main façade and detail of the belfry of the convent of the 
Virgen de la Antigua de San Francisco

Hospital of Our Lady of Antigua

Grajal de Campos railway station

Traditional farmhouse built with wood and adobe bricks

Grajal de Campos bridge over the Valderaduey river

View of the town from the bridge over the Valderaduey river

Location of the castle of Grajal de Campos