Hospital of St. Nicholas of Bari (16th-19th Century)

Ancient healing and spiritual retreat, currently dedicated to rest and care of the elderly.

One of the city’s three Hospitals, it was founded by Cardinal Íñigo López de Mendoza in 1535, according to a testamentary undertaking, as corroborated by the inscription and the coat of arms of this illustrious Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Coria (1523-1528) placed just above the main façade. The Hospital of St. Nicholas of Bari (Hospital de San Nicolás de Bari) is located outside the City Walls and was dedicated to helping the poor and the pilgrims. Its doorway features a semi-circular entrance arch formed by thick stone voussoirs and is outlined by a frame, as the panel of a Moorish arch, made of two Tuscan columns with ribbed shafts and a lintel finished with cyma.

Since its foundation, the title of the building remained with the succession of the illustrious Prelates of Coria, until their assets were seized during the Spanish Confiscation in 1841. Moreover, the establishment fell into a state of decline and ruin in the years that ensued, which led to the reintegration of the right of patronage to its former perpetual benefactors in 1893. Today, it has been tremendously transformed and been dedicated to the care of the elderly as a Retirement Home since 1979. However, it still retains some vestiges of its original attributes, such as its renascent façade and a small cistern.