La Clerecía

La Clerecía is a grand Baroque complex in the heart of Salamanca, constructed between 1617 and the early 18th century as a royal Jesuit college and church. The project was commissioned by King Philip III and his wife Margaret of Austria, but when the Jesuits were expelled from Spain in 1767, the complex passed to the Real Clerecía de San Marcos — the source of the building's current popular name. Its three-tiered church facade is among the finest examples of Spanish Baroque ecclesiastical architecture, while the college's cloister offers a quieter counterpoint of arcaded stone galleries. Visitors can climb the towers via the so-called Scala Coeli route for sweeping views across Salamanca's golden sandstone skyline.