Fuentidueña

Fuentidueña occupies a narrow valley of the Duratón in northern Segovia. During the fifteenth century the Luna family established its lordship here, with a palace that made noble residence part of the small town's fabric. Their patronage also shaped its provision for the sick. In her will of 27 November 1540, Mencía de Mendoza, wife of Álvaro de Luna Manrique, assigned three thousand florins from her marriage portion to establish the Hospital of the Magdalena for poor and sick people of Fuentidueña and its surrounding district. Her husband and their descendants were to oversee the foundation, with responsibility passing to the bishop of Segovia if the family line failed.

Religious building continued alongside these seigneurial foundations. At Santa María la Mayor, the priest Hernán Núñez oversaw sixteenth-century alterations completed in 1576; a porch and later chapels enlarged the older church. Palace, hospital and parish church preserve the distinct imprint of lordship, charitable endowment and parish patronage in this Duratón valley town.