Two determining factors of Jerez's civil architecture will be, on the one hand, the existence since the late 14th century of a large number of noble families settled in the city, and on the other hand... (plus +)

Two determining factors of Jerez's civil architecture will be, on the one hand, the existence since the late 14th century of a large number of noble families settled in the city, and on the other hand, the relative wealth of the Council during the 15th and 16th centuries. The former will build a series of palaces for residential purposes, of which unfortunately very few are preserved, and the latter will proceed to build some public and administrative buildings that still persist although quite transformed. During the 17th and 18th centuries, many manor houses in Jerez were renovated and expanded, which is why few buildings from earlier centuries have reached us, while we have a greater number from the Baroque period. As a general architectural characteristic of these buildings, we can point out that they are built around a central courtyard, with the rooms distributed on two floors. Their exterior decoration is austere and usually limited to moldings, more or less complicated cornices, and coats 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. In addition to these constructions by master builders, Jerez has a large number of popular type mansions and houses.
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