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Dear readers,
In this blog we will tell you more about a couple of royal palaces which are in Seville. These royal palaces have a lot of history, so we will tell you about the history of the palaces and we will also tell you about what the palace stands for nowadays.
The Lebrija Palace has been built in the 16th century, but it came alive in 1901. It came alive, because in 1901 the countess of Lebrija, Condesa de Lebrija, bought the palace and has restored the whole place for 13 years long. Condesa de Lebrija travelled around the world and she was a keen collector of different souvenirs of different countries, so she needed some space to put these souvenirs at her house. That has been the main reason why Condesa de Lebrija bought the palace, because it had enough space for all the antique stuff she bought and brought from different countries.
The countess loved archaeology and that is why her collection has a spectacular range of Roman treasures with mosaics taken from Italica. You can find most of these mosaics on the floor of the main patio of the palace. The arches in the patio are in typical Mudejar style, which was used by the Moors who stayed behind after the Catholic king arrived. These tiles are nowadays known as the azulejos which are tailor-made in Triana.
Nowadays you can still visit this palace. The price is 5€ for the lower floor and 8€ for both floors. The palace has a wonderfully varied private collection. It is situated at Campana, at the end of Calle Cuna, which is parallel to Calle Sierpes. You can recognize this palace by its impressive but discreet stone doorway and huge wooden doors.
You can also visit their official site to read more information about this palace and to buy your tickets online!
La Casa de Pilatos is the finest example of a civil palace in Seville. This building is a mixture of Italian Renaissance and Spanish Mudejar style. This palace also has some well-kept gardens.
The initial construction of the palace was begun by Pedro Enríquez de Quiñones (1435-1492), the 4th Chief Governor of Andalucía. In 1518 Don Fadrique departed on a Grand Tour of Europe and the Holy Land. Two years later he returned, enraptured by the architectural and decorative wonders of High Renaissance Italy. He spent the rest of his life fashioning a new aesthetic style of palace, which became very influential. Don Fadrique's palace was called the Palacio de San Andrés, but from 1754 was referred to as the House of Pilate because some considered that it resembled Pontius Pilate's home in Jerusalem.
After Don Fadrique died without leaving legitimate heirs, the estate passed to his nephew Per Afán Enríquez de Ribera (1509-1571). Per Afan was made 1st Duke of Alcalá in 1558 by King Philip II, as well as Viceroy of Naples, where he acquired numerous marble antiques. To display his collection, instead of modifying the existing palace, in around 1568 he commissioned Neapolitan architect Benvenuto Tortello to build the three loggias that we see today in the Large Garden, with their arches, niches and grotto to house the Roman statues and Renaissance copies.
The initial construction of the palace was begun by Pedro Enríquez de Quiñones, IV Chief Governor of Andalucía, and his second wife Catalina de Rivera, founder of the Casa de Alcalá, on land seized from a Jewish family in the Inquisition. The price paid for the land by Pedro Enriquez was unusually high, as the palace a reliable water supply, via the Caños de Carmona aqueduct.
Nowadays, the Casa de Pilatos is famous for its magnificent patio and gardens, while the coloured azulejos (ceramic tiles) are considered to be among the finest in Seville.
You can visit the complete palace incl. a guided tour for only 10€. If you only want to visit the ground floor with the gardens, the ticket will be 8€. Via this website you can buy tickets online!
The Duquesa de Alba was one of Spain's most famous aristocrats, and one of Seville best-loved personalities, until her death in 2014. With palaces and castles all over Spain, Cayetana was happiest in her home in the historic city center, Palacio de las Dueñas. The house is now owned by her eldest son, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart, who is the 19th Duke of Alba, who officially opened it to the public in March 2016. You can find some history about the Alba family in this previous blog: https://atdspain.com/en/news/how-was-netherlands-part-spanish-empire
A visit to this 15th-century beautiful house, with its large gardens and stunning Mudejar patios, offers you a fascinating insight into the Duchess her life and family. The Duquesa was a huge fan of Semana Santa (Holy Week), the Feria and flamenco dances, and bullfighting, which are all typical to visit when you are visiting Sevilla.
You can visit most of the ground floor rooms - Salon de la Gitana, her private sitting rooms, chapel, and study. You can also visit the famous gardens of the palace, which are called the Patio de los Limones. You can visit both indoor and outdoor for only 10€. Via their official website you can buy your tickets online!
This building is a house palace of medieval origin that was later enriched with various Renaissance elements. It has a great relationship with other palaces in the city from the same period, such as Casa de Pilatos, Palacio de las Dueñas and Palacio de Mañara. The building process was initiated at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
In 1771, during the Spanish Enlightenment period, King Carlos III took the Academy under his protection. In 1843, during the regency of Queen María Cristina and the liberal reform, this academia was named Royal Academy of Fine Arts. All institutions established as Academy extended their duties and from then on, they were in charge of the maintenance of the historical and artistic heritage of the city and created the Museum of Fine Arts. The unification of the regulations applied to academies is accomplished by the establishment of homogeneous regulations for this kind of institution, when the statutes of Saint Isabel of Hungary were assimilated to the ones of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint Fernando in 1942.
Nowadays, this palace is one of the headquarters of the Royal Academy of fine arts. A lot of arts from the history of the house were restored, so you can still check them out. The palace has become a museum for the fine arts.
To visit this old palace and check out the fine art, you will have to get a ticket of 10€ and you can stay for as long as you´d like. Via this website you can buy your tickets online for this palace.
