San Juan Bautista Church · Laguardia

The church-fortress of San Juan houses next to the north door the baptismal font where Samaniego was baptized on October 14, 1745 and the chapel where he is buried. This building is a mixture of styles, from 12th century Romanesque to 18th century Neoclassical, with an outstanding Baroque altarpiece. Its magnificent south portal shows a stone Annunciation and a rose window. The baptismal font, a jewel of Plateresque art, displays the coat of arms of a bishop. The chapel of the Samaniego family, from the 16th century, has Solomonic columns and a baroque altarpiece centered on a Pietà, with works by San Francisco Javier and a copy of Rubens. There lies the fabulist, dressed as a Capuchin, according to his will.