Hostal dos Reis Católicos

The Hostal dos Reis Católicos—also called the Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos or the Parador de Santiago de Compostela—is a five-star Parador hotel on the Praza do Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It is often regarded as one of the world’s oldest hotels still in operation and has been described as the “most beautiful hotel in Europe.” The building was originally a hostel and hospital for pilgrims at the terminus of the Camino de Santiago. Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs, decided to build it after completing the pilgrimage themselves in 1486. They provided the funds in 1499, construction started in 1501, and it took more than ten years to finish. For four centuries, it served as a hospital and hospice. In 1953, the hospital moved to a new site nearby, and the building reopened as a luxury hotel in 1954 after renovations. It joined the Paradores network in 1986. Today, with 137 rooms, it is the largest and most prestigious parador in the chain, and it still offers free services to a limited number of pilgrims each day.

During the Middle Ages, pilgrims from across Europe—rich and poor—followed the Way of St. James to the shrine of Saint James the Great at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. After their own pilgrimage in 1486, Isabella and Ferdinand, demonstrating religious devotion and their growing power, launched projects to improve the trail’s infrastructure, building hostels, bridges, churches, and public wells. Their major undertaking was this hostel at the trail’s end, right next to the cathedral.

The words hostal, hotel, hostel, hostelry, hospital, and hospice all come from the Latin *hospes*, meaning guest. While these terms are now distinct, at the time the Hostal opened, its purpose included sleep, food, and care for ailments like sore feet from long walks. There was little separation between lodging and medical care; hostels operated under a broad idea of hospitality.

The building sits at the end of the Way of St. James, on the Praza do Obradoiro beside the cathedral. Construction began in 1501 and took over ten years. Masons, engineers, and sculptors from across Europe worked on it. The architect Enrique Egas oversaw the project, which features a Plateresque façade. In 1526, King Carlos V completed work on the plaza, creating a large open space linking the Hostal and the cathedral.