Parador de Lerma

Construction began in 1601, commissioned by Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, Duke of Lerma. The architect was Francisco de Mora and it is considered his masterpiece and one of the best buildings of that time. It was built between 1601 and 1617 on the ruins of the old 15th century castle. The Duke of Lerma was an important diplomat who negotiated numerous treaties, and his magnificent and imposing palace was intended to serve as a symbol of his power. It originally had immense gardens below, on the banks of the river, with fountains, stately homes and seven chapels, of which one (Christ) remains. Here a royal wedding was held, a queen gave birth, and Napoleon Bonaparte slept within its walls.

The Palace, built in the early seventeenth century in the Herrerian style, has symmetrical shapes. Its facade shows the coats of arms of the house of Sandoval y Rojas. The door is flanked by columns and above it there are windows and balconies of monotonous symmetry. Inside there are sober Renaissance courtyards. The lintels, walls, pedestals and columns are made of polished stone in single pieces. In all, the palace has two hundred and ten balconies and thirty-five windows, and at the corners there are plain capitals on the slate towers. The gate is crowned by a frontispiece supported by columns, and the large walnut door is decorated with 520 bronze nails.

The Parador is located in the Plaza Mayor of Lerma, one of the largest in Spain with almost 7,000 square meters, which the palace completely dominates. Lerma is a monumental complex of the seventeenth century virtually intact, with the Collegiate Church of San Pedro and several convents of the same era. The Ribera del Duero and its wineries are within easy reach. Burgos, with its World Heritage Gothic cathedral, is 40 kilometers away.