Archbishop's Palace

1021

After the reconquest of Seville in 1248 by the sanctified King Ferdinand III of Castile, the same king gave some houses in 1251 to Mr Raimundo de Losana, bishop of Segovia, so that he could settle in the town. These houses were built on Almohad constructions that were in turn built on a thermal complex from the Roman era. Almost nothing remains of the palace built for Raimundo, who was the first bishop of Seville after the Reconquest. Over the centuries it has been extended, until the middle of the 16th century, when one of the reforms left it with the structure that can be seen today, around two courtyards in the Mannerist style.

The Baroque style façade, designed by Lorenzo Fernández de Iglesias and Diego Antonio Díaz, was built in the 18th century and is considered one of the best examples of Sevillian Baroque. It is worth noting the red ochre and sangre de toro (bull blood) colours with which it is decorated. These colours also accompany other emblematic buildings in the town. In the last decades of the 18th century, Archbishop Alonso Marcos de Llanes Argüelles provided and opened the palace library. In addition, he made several commissions to the painter José Suárez for the decoration of the palace, and also for the archbishop's palace at Umbrete, used by the archbishops as a summer residence.

During the Spanish War of Independence, it was used as the headquarters of the general command of the army and the residence of Marshal Soult and his officers. Years later,the Dukes of Montpensier, who had recently arrived in the town, occupied these rooms as occasional dwellings while works were carried out on the palace of San Telmo.

It has been declared a Historic-Artistic Monument since 1969.

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