Palencia was called Pallantia in ancient times and was the capital of a Celtiberian tribe. Palencia probably became the seat of a bishop as early as the 3rd century, and the city experienced its first heyday under the Visigoths in the 6th and 7th centuries.

In the 8th century, the Arab-Moorish armies conquered the area around Palencia. In the 11th century the city was reconquered by the Christians (reconquista). The greatest supporter at the beginning of the 13th century was the Castilian King Alfonso VIII. Already during his lifetime, but mainly after his death (1214), the existing cathedral school was converted into one of the first universities in Europe.



The Cathedral was built from 1172 to 1504 and stands over a Visigothic crypt. It is more than 130 metres long, 42 metres high and 50 metres wide at the centre, making it one of the largest cathedrals in Spain.

The cloister