Route of the Palaces and Manor Houses 15th-18th Century
Two determining factors of the civil architecture in Jerez will be, on one hand, the existence since the end of the 14th century of a large number of noble families settled in the city, and on the oth... (plus +)
Two determining factors of the civil architecture in Jerez will be, on one hand, the existence since the end of the 14th century of a large number of noble families settled in the city, and on the other, the relative wealth of the Council during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The former will build, for residential purposes, a series of palaces, of which, unfortunately, very few remain, and the latter will proceed to construct some public and administrative buildings that still persist, although quite transformed.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many noble houses in Jerez were reformed and expanded, which is why few buildings from earlier centuries have survived to our time, while we have a greater number from the Baroque period.
As a general architectural characteristic of these buildings, we can note that they are built around a central courtyard, with rooms distributed on two floors. Their exterior decoration is austere and usually limited to moldings, more or less complicated, cornices, and the coat of arms of the owners. Both inside and on their facade, the predominant color is white. Their location in the urban area is irregular although the most prominent ones are close to the most important squares and temples. Alongside these masterpieces, Jerez has a high number of large houses and popular type dwellings.
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