The San Lorenzo mansion in the city of Santiago is an example of a medieval monastery transformed into a palatial residence. Its origins go back to the 13th century, when Martín Arias, bishop of Zamora founded a hermitage dedicated to Saint Lawrence which was later converted into a modest Franciscan cell surrounded by thick groves of oak. The mansion has gardens outside, which are more notable for their rich and variety botany than for their layout, but it is worth mentioning for its internal gardens in the shape of its special and unusual cloister. This is an almost square space (16 x 18m) framed by a gallery which is open on the lower floor and glazed on the upper one and with a perimeter walkway enclosing a garden with clipped box forming outlines which, with the passing of the years, have become strange hieroglyphics whose meaning is hard to disentangle.