Editing León, Nicaragua (section)

== Heritage ==
[[File:Nicaragua 2017-03-13 (33663091692).jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[León Cathedral, Nicaragua|León Cathedral]], a UNESCO World Heritage Site]]
[[File:Iglesia de la Recoleccion - Leon - Nicaragua - 01 (31416391552).jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Church of la Recolección, León, Nicaragua|La Recolección Church]]]]
[[File:Iglesia San Juan Bautista Subtiava.jpg|thumb|Iglesia San Juan Bautista Sutiava]]
[[File:Nicaragualeoniglesiasanfelipe02.jpg|thumb|right|220px|San Felipe Church]]
[[File:Frontis Santuario Diocesano de Nuestra Señora de La Merced. León, Nicaragua..jpg|thumb|right|220px|Nuestra Señora de La Merced Church]]
[[File:León, Nicaragua - panoramio - Juan José Mendoza (1).jpg|thumb|right|220px|San Juan Apóstol church]]
[[File:Guadalupe León, Nicaragua por Richard Weiss.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Guadalupe Church]]
[[File:Laborio León, Nicaragua por Richard Weiss.JPG|thumb|right|220px|El Laborio Church]]
[[File:San francisco León, Nicaragua por Richard Weiss.JPG|thumb|right|220px|San Francisco Church]]
[[File:Iglesia El Calvario leon.jpg|thumb|right|220px|El Calvario church]]

León is rich in both monuments and historical places. Some architectural monuments include:

* '''Cárcel la 21''' (Prison 21) was a jail located in the San Sebastian neighborhood of Leon. It was a detention center which housed political prisoners and was a symbol of torture.<ref name="Cerda">{{cite news|last1=Cerda|first1=Arlen|title=La tenebrosa cárcel la 21|url=http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2011/07/10/suplemento/magazine/1111836-5439|access-date=12 September 2017|newspaper=[[La Prensa (Managua)|La Prensa]]|date=10 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912210927/http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2011/07/10/suplemento/magazine/1111836-5439|archive-date=12 September 2017|location=Managua, Nicaragua|language=es|trans-title=The Darkness of Prison 21}}</ref> Construction began in 1910 and it was first occupied in 1921.<ref name="Hoy 2017">{{cite news|title=Guardián de la cultura|url=http://www.hoy.com.ni/2015/10/07/guardian-de-la-cultura/|access-date=12 September 2017|agency=[[La Prensa (Managua)|La Prensa]]|publisher=Hoy|date=7 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912205628/http://www.hoy.com.ni/2015/10/07/guardian-de-la-cultura/|archive-date=12 September 2017|location=Managua, Nicaragua|language=es}}</ref> The [[National Heroines and Heroes of Nicaragua|National Heroine]] [[Blanca Aráuz]] was incarcerated in the facility during the guerrilla insurgency following the [[Nicaraguan civil war (1926–27)|Constitutionalist War]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Arellano|first1=Jorge Eduardo|title=Blanca Aráuz: adorada esposa de Sandino|url=http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/suplementos/cultural/354169-blanca-arauz-adorada-esposa-sandino/|access-date=12 September 2017|newspaper=[[El Nuevo Diario]]|date=1 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313040700/http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/suplementos/cultural/354169-blanca-arauz-adorada-esposa-sandino/|archive-date=13 March 2017|location=Managua, Nicaragua|language=es|trans-title=Blanca Aráuz: Adored wife of Sandino}}</ref> During the [[Anastasio Somoza García|Somoza]] regime, it housed political prisoners and those who were [[Forced disappearance|"disappeared"]] by the [[National Guard (Nicaragua)|Guardia Nacional]]. The façade of the building was destroyed during fighting between the National Guard and [[Sandinistas]] in 1979. Since 2000 the jail has served as an [[Museum of Traditions and Legends|art museum]], which also attracts visitors interested in the macabre.<ref name="Cerda" /><ref name="Hoy 2017" />
* '''[[León Cathedral, Nicaragua|Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of León]]''', a typical [[Spanish Colonial architecture|colonial baroque]] building built between 1747 and 1814. Because of its solid, anti-seismic construction, its walls have endured earthquakes, eruptions of the [[Cerro Negro]] volcano, and bombings during civil wars. Several cannons were placed on the roof both during the siege of the city by conservative forces in 1824 and during the revolution of 1979 against president [[Anastasio Somoza Debayle]].

:The Assumption is the largest [[cathedral]] in Central America and has been the first episcopal seat of Nicaragua since 1531, making it one of the oldest dioceses in the Americas. In the cathedral's crypts are buried several illustrious figures, such as poet and diplomat [[Rubén Darío]] at the foot of the statue of [[Paul the Apostle|St. Paul]]. Darío was the leading figure of the Modernism Poetic Movement of the late 1800s to early 1900s, and was declared the ''Prince of Spanish Letters'' by literary figures of the Spanish-speaking world. Other illustrious figures buried in the cathedral are the poets [[Salomón de la Selva]] and [[Alfonso Cortés]], the father of Nicaragua's independence [[Miguel Larreynaga]], classical composer and musician [[José de la Cruz Mena]], and several bishops.

:There are a number of tunnels that connect the cathedral with other temples that were used as hideouts or escape routes during attacks by British, Dutch, and French pirates. However, the tunnels are not accessible to the public, as some have been converted to the sewer system service. In the early 20th century, the first bishop of Leon and the last in Nicaragua, Archbishop Simeón Pereira y Castellón (the same who presided over the funeral of Darío on February 13, 1916) commissioned Granadan sculptor Jorge Navas Cordonero to make a statue of the Virgin Mary to crown the top the façade, and two pairs of [[Atlantean figures]] to support the beams that connect the central gable to the flanking bell towers. Navas also sculpted the statues of the twelve apostles inside, along with the columns of the central nave, and the [[lion]] at the tomb of Dario, which resembles the ''[[Lion Monument|Lion of Lucerne]]'' in Switzerland.  He also created several moldings in the interior walls and built the Tabernacle Chapel.
* '''Church of Sutiava''' is the oldest intact church in Leon <ref name="Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba Church in León">{{cite web |title=Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Sutiaba Church in León |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/nicaragua/leon/attractions/iglesia-de-san-juan-bautista-de-sutiaba/a/poi-sig/1323197/358495 |website=Lonely Planet |access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref> considered the main temple after the cathedral. Its construction began in 1698, during magistrate Diego Rodríguez Menéndez's administration, and was completed 24 August 1710. In 1844, during [[Malespín's War|a war with El Salvador]], the tower dome was destroyed, but it was rebuilt in the early 20th century. The name of the church was formerly spelled "Subtiava" or "Subtiaba", but the neighborhood officially changed the spelling to "Sutiava" since people believed "sub" meant it was inferior.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barrio Sutiava |url=http://www.vivatravelguides.com/central-america/nicaragua/the-interior-and-leon/leon/barrio-sutiava/ |website=Viva Travel Guides Nicaragua |access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref>
* '''Church of San Francisco''' is part of the convent of San Francisco, one of the oldest in Nicaragua, founded in 1639 by Friar Pedro de Zúñiga. In the interior remain two good examples of [[plateresque]] altars. However, its main attraction is the courtyard. Built in pure, Leonese colonial style, this is a grassy expanse with an [[ashlar]] fountain at the center from which four radiating walkways, flanked by manicured lemon trees, lead to the surrounding [[portico]]es where some of the columns are covered in red [[bougainvillea]]s.  Towards the south, a line of [[royal palm]]s shade the roof and complete the peaceful ensemble.
* '''[[Church of la Recolección, León, Nicaragua|Church of la Recolección]]''', construction began on 5 December 1786, by Bishop Juan Félix de Villegas thanks to contributions made by parishioners. Its Mexican baroque façade is considered one of the most important in the city. The interior also contains one of the best baroque altarpieces in the city highlighted with paintings and silver engravings.
* '''Church of la Merced''', in 1762 the [[Mercedarian]] fathers built the first convent and church, but these were later demolished. In the 18th century, the present Church of la Merced was erected with drawings attributed to [[Mercedario]] Friar Pedro de Ávila and conducted by master builder Pascual Somarriba. Adjacent to the north side of la Merced is the Paraninfo (former Mercedarion convent) built in beautifully delicate baroque style, which is now UNAN's main administrative building.
* '''Church of el Calvario''', a fantasy of textures and colors of pure Leonese baroque.  The façade consists of a central body, painted off-yellow with white trimming supported by white, half columns. The gable contains high reliefs of the passion of Christ. The two flanking bell towers painted Burgundy red and highlighted with white grooving, are made up of reliefs representing bricks. The central body contains a central Roman arch door flanked by two smaller, flat ones. They are all separated by columns, topped by a [[frieze]] covered in white garlands. The interiors are a pleasant soft white to keep them cool during the long, hot, and dry Leonese summers. The ceiling, also white, is highlighted by red and yellow outlining in the shape of crosses, leaves, and flowers. Built by the illustrious Mayorga family, el Calvario dates from the first half of the 18th century and it is one of Leon's architectural jewels at the east end of calle Real or "Main Street".
* '''Ruins of the Church of San Sebastián''', built in the late 17th century as a chapel of the Cathedral, San Sebastián's was one of the first religious buildings in the city. Rebuilt in the late 18th century by Colonel Joaquín Arrechavala, it was bombed during the revolution in 1979. Since it was built with adobe bricks, San Sebastián was easily destroyed, unlike other churches built of brick or stone which endured shootings and bombings.
* '''Church of Guadalupe''', built in the late 19th century under the auspices of father Villamil replacing an 18th-century hermitage, it is of simple construction, in keeping with the sobriety of the [[Franciscan]]s.
* '''Church of Zaragoza''', with an atrium and lateral corridor, its construction began in the late 19th century and ended in the mid-20th century by Bishop Salmerón; the façade was designed by Dr. Francisco Mateo.
* '''Church of San Felipe''', a large building that occupies an entire block, it was built in 1685 for blacks and mulatto worshipers. In 1859, it underwent an extensive expansion that gave it its present form, whereas the tower was restored in 1983.
* '''Church Hermitage of San Pedro''', a small building with typical late, colonial architecture of the 18th century. It was built between 1706 and 1718 by mayor Bartolomé González Fitoria, replacing the original church of San Pedro that was part of a set of four primitive hermitages in Subtiava.
* '''Church of San Nicolás Tolentino del Laborío''', [[Philip III of Spain]] ordered its construction in 1618. It was built in very light, Colonial baroque style.
* '''Chapel of la Asunción''', part of the school of the same name, it was built in 1679 by Bishop Andrés de las Navas y Quevedo, and used as an episcopal palace. Later it was occupied by the Mothers of the Assumption. In 1935 it underwent deep alterations that led to its current appearance: a mix of early colonial baroque for the side wings, and [[neo-Gothic]] for the central chapel.
* '''Hotel Esfinge''' building designed by Nicaraguan architect José María Ibarra as an upscale hotel.
* '''Esquivel House''', built in the 19th century, it belonged to Father Mariano Dubón. Architectural details and decorations around the house makes it a unique structure in the city. It now belongs to the '''Esquivel Family''' and it is categorized as a high-class residence.
* '''Colegio de San Ramón''', of symmetrical façade and Renaissance influences, it has been rebuilt several times after being damaged by earthquakes. Although historically a seminary college since the 1600s, it has now been incorporated to [[National Autonomous University of Nicaragua|UNAN]].
* '''City Hall''', built in 1935, it was damaged during the revolution of 1979. The building was designed in [[Art Deco]] style by architect Marcelo Targa, and was built during the administration of then president [[Juan Bautista Sacasa]]. It is a building of important architectural value.

Other remarkable buildings and places include: the walls of Guadalupe Cemetery, Guadalupe Bridge, the Debayle Museum, the Diocesan Archives, the Mena Theater, the Posada Colonial (a baroque structure in business since 1823), the old Train Station, the San Vicente Hospital, and the Subtiava Rural House.
* '''[[León Viejo]]''', the ruins of the original city of León which was buried by an eruption of the [[Momotombo]] volcano in 1610. It was founded in 1524 by [[Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (founder of Nicaragua)|Francisco Hernández de Córdoba]], and is situated {{convert|30|km|0|abbr=off}} from the actual city of León. It is a [[World Heritage Site]] and its founder is buried there, in a crypt beneath his statue, along with other figures including [[Pedrarias Dávila]] who had ordered his assassination.
<gallery class="center">
File:Sesteorestaurant.JPG|Sesteo Restaurant near Cathedral and Main Square.
File:Nicaragua 2017-03-13 (33663091692).jpg|[[Cathedral of León (Nicaragua)|Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of León]].
File:Iglesiadelarecoleccion.JPG|Church El Calvario.
File:Spanishcolonial3.JPG|Spanish colonial home.
File:Nicaragualeonspanishcolonial1.JPG|Spanish colonial home.
File:Nicaragua León église de la Recoleccion 1.jpg|[[Church of la Recolección, León, Nicaragua|Church of La Recolección]]
File:El Calvario (interior view).jpg|El Calvario (interior view)
</gallery>