Casa de Pilatos
Encyclopedia
La Casa de Pilatos is an Andalusian
palace in Seville, Spain, which serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. The building is a mixture of Renaissance
Italian and Mudéjar
Spanish styles. It is considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace.
of Andalucía) and his wife Catalina de Rivera, founder of the Casa de Alcalá. Construction was completed by Pedro's son Fadrique Enriquez de Ribera (first Marquis of Tarifa), who pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1519 led to the modern name of the home "Pilate's house". Upon his return, tradition he discovered that the distance between the ruins of the home of Pontius Pilate
and Golgotha was the same as that between his palace with a temple located outside the walls known as the Cross of field. Popular imagination has thus identified and considered a copy of the house of Pilate. As such, the rooms were named along the theme of the Passion of Christ; "Hall of Praetorian", "Chapel of the Flagellation", etc.,.
Antonio Maria Aprile in 1529, surmounted by a Gothic
crest
possibly brought from the palace that developers were building in Bornos
. The gate leads to a typical Andalusian courtyard where a fountain surrounded by twenty-four busts of Spanish kings, Roman emperor
s and other relevant characters collected from the ruins of Italica
are distributed along the lower galleries of the courtyard. The courtyard, in turn, leads to two gardens with plateresque
adornements.
A staircase to the top floor is decorated with azulejo
s tiling and a ceiling of Mudéjar honeycomb, made by Cristobal Sanchez. The rooms on this floor include major paintings dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, including the Pietà
by Sebastiano del Piombo
.
In the room to the left wing of the Tower the ceiling displays fresco
es painted by Francisco Pacheco
between 1603 and 1604 that enhance the apotheosis of Hercules
, and in the room that follows the Tower is a tiny series of works by Francisco Goya
of a Bullfightand a still life by Giuseppe Recco (in the dining room) and a table representing Mary Magdalene
painted in the sixteenth century, in the library are three works by painter Luca Giordano
. As with most palaces of the period, Casa de Pilatos also has a chapel, designed in Gothic Mudéjar style with antique decor and numerous manuscripts. Casa de Pilatos is considered one of the finest examples of Andalusian architecture of sixteenth century Seville.
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
palace in Seville, Spain, which serves as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. The building is a mixture of Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
Italian and Mudéjar
Mudéjar
Mudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
Spanish styles. It is considered the prototype of the Andalusian palace.
History
The construction of this palace, adorned with precious azulejos tiles and gardens, was begun by Pedro Enriquez de Quiñones (Adelantado MayorAdelantado
Adelantado was a military title held by some Spanish conquistadores of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.Adelantados were granted directly by the Monarch the right to become governors and justices of a specific region, which they charged with conquering, in exchange for funding and organizing the...
of Andalucía) and his wife Catalina de Rivera, founder of the Casa de Alcalá. Construction was completed by Pedro's son Fadrique Enriquez de Ribera (first Marquis of Tarifa), who pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1519 led to the modern name of the home "Pilate's house". Upon his return, tradition he discovered that the distance between the ruins of the home of Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
and Golgotha was the same as that between his palace with a temple located outside the walls known as the Cross of field. Popular imagination has thus identified and considered a copy of the house of Pilate. As such, the rooms were named along the theme of the Passion of Christ; "Hall of Praetorian", "Chapel of the Flagellation", etc.,.
Floor plan
The palace is accessed through a Renaissance style marble gate, designed by the GenoeseGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
Antonio Maria Aprile in 1529, surmounted by a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
possibly brought from the palace that developers were building in Bornos
Bornos
Bornos is a town and municipality located in the province of Cádiz, Spain.-Demographics:- External links :* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
. The gate leads to a typical Andalusian courtyard where a fountain surrounded by twenty-four busts of Spanish kings, Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
s and other relevant characters collected from the ruins of Italica
Italica
The city of Italica was founded in 206 BC by the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in order to settle Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa, where the Carthaginian army was defeated during the Second Punic War...
are distributed along the lower galleries of the courtyard. The courtyard, in turn, leads to two gardens with plateresque
Plateresque
Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" , was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century, and spread over the next two centuries...
adornements.
A staircase to the top floor is decorated with azulejo
Azulejo
Azulejo from the Arabic word Zellige زليج is a form of Portuguese or Spanish painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tilework. They have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture, having been produced without interruption for five centuries...
s tiling and a ceiling of Mudéjar honeycomb, made by Cristobal Sanchez. The rooms on this floor include major paintings dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, including the Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
by Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo , byname of Sebastiano Luciani, was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter of the early 16th century famous for his combination of the colors of the Venetian school and the monumental forms of the Roman school.- Biography :Sebastiano del Piombo belongs to the painting school...
.
In the room to the left wing of the Tower the ceiling displays fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es painted by Francisco Pacheco
Francisco Pacheco
Francisco Pacheco was a Spanish painter, best known as the teacher of Diego Velázquez and Alonso Cano, and for his textbook on painting that is an important source for the study of 17th-century practice in Spain...
between 1603 and 1604 that enhance the apotheosis of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, and in the room that follows the Tower is a tiny series of works by Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
of a Bullfightand a still life by Giuseppe Recco (in the dining room) and a table representing Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
painted in the sixteenth century, in the library are three works by painter Luca Giordano
Luca Giordano
Luca Giordano was an Italian late Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome, Florence and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain....
. As with most palaces of the period, Casa de Pilatos also has a chapel, designed in Gothic Mudéjar style with antique decor and numerous manuscripts. Casa de Pilatos is considered one of the finest examples of Andalusian architecture of sixteenth century Seville.