Puntos de Interés
Culture
Ruins of the former Church of San Sebastián,
The ruins of the former Church of San Sebastián, situated 6 km northeast of the town of Hinojosa de Duero, have been preserved.
The Torre de San Leonardo is a structure that has been given the name of the village that once existed there, although this village eventually disappeared. The tower stands as a testament to the passage of time, serving as a reminder that much more existed there than has survived to the present day.
The settlement of San Leonardo, which has its origins in the Middle Ages, was situated on an escarpment in the River Camaces, near the point at which it joins the River Duero and the border with Portugal. During the Middle Ages, the area was under the governance of the ecclesiastical lordship. In the Modern Age, it passed to the royal authority, at which time its inhabitants were required to serve the castle of Hinojosa de Duero.
There are several hypotheses as to why San Leonardo eventually ceased to exist. It is possible that there is no single reason for this decline. It is postulated that the abandonment of the settlement was the result of a combination of factors, including crop failures, famine, disease such as plague, and other causes that contributed to the significant reduction in the local population. Furthermore, the Portuguese military's incursions during the period of Portuguese independence, the damage caused by the War of Succession, and the suggestion that the final abandonment was caused by their attack during the Spanish War of Independence must be considered. It was during this period that the half-ruined keep is believed to have fallen victim to the French offensive.
The tower of San Leonardo represents the western facade of the building, while the masonry walls delineate its ground plan. The tower is built in hard granite masonry. Regarding the architectural features of the building as it stands today, the most striking elements are the tall belfry with three openings decorated with semicircular arches and the imposts that ornament the façade. The two eyes that comprise the base were designed as an elevated mullioned window, with a smaller eye at the top that presides over the belfry. Other elements that have been well preserved are the entrance to the church and the rudimentary staircases in its southern section. The interior of the building still displays a portion of the spiral staircase that ascended the tower and a section of the beams that constituted the structural framework of the ecclesiastical structure.
In addition to the tower of San Leonardo, the Romanesque fountain of San Leonardo has survived to the present day. The fountain is a Romanesque structure that, according to legend, played a role in the depopulation of San Leonardo. It is said to have poisoned its inhabitants.
This site has been designated as an integral component of the cultural heritage of Castile and León.