The Palacio de la Ribera (also known as "Palace of the Bank") was the summer residence of Philip III in

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

. It was built in the 17th century (1602-1605) as part of a process of urban transformation upon the establishment of the Spanish Court in

between 1601 and 1606. The palace was situated at the Huerta del Rey neighborhood, located across the Parque de las Moreras on the right bank of the

Pisuerga The Pisuerga is a river in northern Spain, the Duero's second largest tributary. It rises in the Cantabrian Mountains in the province of Palencia, autonomous region of Castile and León. Its traditional source is called Fuente Cobre, but it has ...

river. The palace grounds extended from the Puente Mayor to Ribera de Don Periáñez del Corral and delimited at both sides by the

river and the Camino del Monasterio del Prado. The palace was gradually abandoned until it became part of the destroyed cultural heritage of

in 1761. Some ruins of the building are still preserved.

Historical context and construction

The design, location, endowment, and agricultural and recreational roles of the palace were outlined according to the interests of Don Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, Duke of Lerma. The Duke had succeeded in influencing Philip III to make Valladolid the capital of Habsburg Spain in 1601; a decision contrary to Philip II’s mandate years earlier. The Duke was the first to acquire the lands for the construction of the palace, which were originally known as Huerta del Duque (''Orchard of the Duke'') and known later as Huerta del Rey (''Orchard of the King''). The construction of the new summer palace began in 1602 under the direction of Cuencan architect Francisco de Mora and the possible collaboration of Diego de Praves, Juan de Nates and Bartolomé de la Calzada. Other architects potentially involved were Juan Alonso Ballesteros, Bartolomé González, Antón de Huete and Juan Quijano. The goal was to build a counterpart to the

Royal Palace of Valladolid The Royal Palace of Valladolid was the official residence of the Kings of Spain during the period in which the Royal Court had its seat in Valladolid between 1601 and 1606, and a temporary residence of the Spanish Monarchs from Charles I to Isa ...

in which official state affairs were carried out. Rather, the new palace would offer all the characteristics of a pleasure house for the king and his court, away from the urban bustle. Architect de Mora reconverted a simple country home into a luxurious haven of leisure and nature, in the manner of Italian Renaissance villas. The construction was finished in 1605, the year in which the crown prince Philip IV was born in

. A manuscript written in 1626 by architect

Juan Gómez de Mora Juan Gómez de Mora (1586–1648) was a Spanish architect, active in the 17th century. He was a main figure of Spanish early- Baroque architecture in the city of Madrid. Gómez de Mora was born and died in Madrid. His father, also , was a Sp ...

, Francisco de Mora’s nephew and preserved at the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

tells about the palace:

Description

The Palacio de la Ribera was divided into two parts: one part facing north of the main pavilion, which was one of the sides of a closed courtyard with three arcaded galleries, and the other facing south, with a construction that formed an angle with the main pavilion and a garden decorated with

parterre A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the part of ...

s. There was a tower topped by a spire of lead at the intersection of the two buildings, with a view over the river and the gardens. The roof was decorated with red tiles. The main entrance of the palace opened onto the Paseo del Monasterio del Prado (current Salamanca avenue). The palace, perpendicular to the river and on the classical style of the Habsburgs, was located on high grounds and safe from the dreaded flood of the channel. The southern facade of the palace had five doors and twenty large windows; there were thirty-four windows on the northern facade, and the side facing the river had three balconies. Inside the building, there was a hallway, an oratory, a main staircase, four rooms on the main floor, three more on the second floor along with other agencies and services. All the rooms had painted ceilings. One of the rooms was decorated with tiles and had a fountain. The palace had two high galleries; one gallery faced a courtyard that was conditioned for

bullfight Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

s. The other gallery had a view over the river from which

naumachia The naumachia (in Latin , from the Ancient Greek /, literally "naval combat") in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the staging of naval battles as mass entertainment, and the basin or building in which this took place. Early The fir ...

s (naval combats) and the famous "Despeño del toro" could be seen. The "Despeño del toro” was a popular feast in which the animal was thrown into the

river by a greased ramp placed for this purpose and then speared from the

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

s to the delight of citizens massed on the other side of the river. The palace had the first zoo of the city and housed lions, camels, deer, wild pigs, rabbits, bobcats, porcupines, herons, pheasants, turtle doves, and feathered birds. Part of the orchard was transformed into a hunting forest.

Painting collection and guests

According to the inventory of 15 November 1607 preserved in the

Archivo General de Palacio The Archivo General de Palacio was created by Ferdinand VII in 1808 with more than 120 millions of documents from the 13th century until now. It collects, classifies and preserves all the documents from the Patrimonio de la Corona and the Spanish ...

in Madrid, the palace housed several masterpieces such as the collection of royal portraits of Pantoja de la Cruz and Rubens, paintings by the

Carducci Carducci is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bartolomeo Carducci (1560–1610), Florentine artist * Giosuè Carducci (1835–1907), Italian poet * Joe Carducci (born 1955), American writer and record producer * Marco ...

brothers, Andrea del Sarto, Veronese,

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

, Bassano, and even a work by

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...

. Rubens personally attended the celebrations of the palace in 1603 when he arrived at

as ambassador of the Duke of Mantua. During his stay of several months, he painted some portraits, such as the "'' Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma''", now in the Museo del Prado, and works like "'' Heraclitus and Democritus''" currently preserved at the Museo Nacional de San Gregorio. A later inventory made in 1703, identified 519 paintings, 70 Faenza ceramics and great and luxurious furniture pieces.

Gardens and sculptures

Giambologna-Samson and the Philistine-Victoria and Albert Museum-3

Fountains and statues following an Italian late-Renaissance style were the visual axes of the garden walks. A large garden with many benches was designed at the south of the palace, hosting a collection of selected botanical species and a large aviary. The masterpiece of these spaces was a fountain that presided over the main garden of Huerta del Rey (''Orchard of the King''). The fountain consisted of a pond and a large cup topped by the sculpture "'' Samson Slaying a Philistine''", a masterpiece by

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...

sculptor Giambologna. The sculpture came from the house of the ambassador of the

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, from whom the

Duke of Lerma Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma, 5th Marquess of Denia, 1st Count of Ampudia (1552/1553 – 17 May 1625), was a favourite of Philip III of Spain, the first of the ''validos'' ('most worthy') through whom the later H ...

bought it. In the year 1623, the sculpture would be gifted by Philip IV, along with a painting by Veronese to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, the future

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

. The sculpture is currently kept in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in London and is one of the jewels of the museum. The cup of the fountain left in Valladolid in served as the basis for the Fountain of Bacchus, in the Island’s Garden of

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of Tagus, a bit upstream the discharge of the Jarama. , the municipality h ...

, where it remains today.

Access and river related

The Duke of Lerma ordered to build a secret passage to connect the Orchard of the King with the Royal Palace across the river by San Quirce street and alongside the Palacio de los Condes de Benavente. The duke copied the experience of architect

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work '' The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculp ...

in Florence in which a long passage connected the Palazzo degli Uffizi with the

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

on the other side of the Arno river. The chambers that accessed the passage from the Palacio de la Ribera, stored under lock 2,400 ordinary glasses and 205 crystal glasses that were supposed to be placed in the palace’s windows only when the kings were hosted in the palace. Two piers in the river provided access to the palace by boat. A square wooden tower with a top room and windows covered by blinds made the functions of a large gazebo on the water level that was particularly attractive in the summer time. The Duke considered the chances of making the Pisuerga navigable to the Monastery of Prado and even planned to extend the navigation to Zamora; however, after the return of the Court to Madrid in 1606 these plans were forgotten. A pumping water system was built near the Puente Mayor to bring water up from the Pisuerga to the gardens and crops of the Orchard of the King. The work was carried out by military sailor

Pedro de Zubiaur Pedro de Zubiaur, Zubiaurre or Çubiaurre (1540 – 3 August 1605) was a Spanish naval officer, general of the Spanish Navy, distinguished for his achievements in the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). Biography Born into a seafaring family fro ...

re in collaboration with architect Diego de Praves. de Zubiaurre was not an engineer. While being imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

for spying for

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

in the English court, de Zubiaurre took note of the hydraulic system developed by

Peter Morice Peter Morice (died 1588; - also sometimes spelt Morrys, Morris or Maurice) was a Dutch-born (some accounts describe him as a German) engineer who developed one of the first pumped water supply systems for the City of London. In London, his first ...

to pump up water from the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

into pipes for distribution to citizens’ houses in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The complexity of this pumping water system, entirely new in Spain, was in the same line of engineering work that Cremonese Juanelo Turriano built for

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

in Toledo on the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

river. The structure made of ferries wheels, arcades of distribution and lead pipes continued to work until 1618.

Galleys and gondolas in the Pisuerga river

A set of galleys and

s were used both to cross the Pisuerga river and for the shows during the festivities. One of these ships was the royal galley “San Felipe”, named in the king’s honor and painted in blue and gold tones by Santiago de las Cuevas in 1602. That same year, artist

Bartolomeo Carducci Bartolomeo Carducci (156014 November 1608) was an Italian painter, better known as Carducho, the Spanish corruption of his Italian patronymic. Biography He was born in Florence, where he studied architecture and sculpture under Bartolomeo ...

painted two royal coat of arms in the pennants of a new gondola, while Santiago Remesal decorated the ship with banners, flags and pennants that included religious symbols, the royal emblems and the coat of arms of Valladolid.

Destruction

The Crown lost interest in the palace over time, albeit carrying out small renovations for the visits of Philip IV in 1660, and Charles II in 1690. With the death of the childless Charles II in 1700 the succession of the throne passed to the Bourbon dynasty and the Palacio de la Ribera met its final decline. All its artworks were scattered between the Royal Palace of San Pablo in Valladolid and the Museo del Prado in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

. In 1761 and with the consent of the Bourbon king

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

, architect

Ventura Rodríguez Ventura Rodríguez Tizón (July 14, 1717 – September 26, 1785) was a Spanish architect and artist. Born at Ciempozuelos, Rodríguez was the son of a bricklayer. In 1727, he collaborated with his father in the work at the Royal Palace of Aranj ...

advised its demolition. Some architectural elements of the palace were used to restore the Royal Palace in San Pablo Square and other buildings of Valladolid. A door from the Huerta del Rey was transferred to the monastery of San Benito, now the Museo Patio Herreriano. The door was for many years one of the few tangible traces of this complex in Valladolid, whose remains disappeared completely in the middle of the 20th century. Nowadays, high residential towers rise on the palace grounds. After debris removal and cleanup of the area near the Pisuerga river, the city hall has recovered two long walls of the foundations, one of stone and other of brick, which remained practically buried, as well as a small outbuilding that had remained lost for centuries. A small path along the river has been open to allow access to the remains of the sumptuous royal summer residence. In June 2015 part of the slope overlooking the river was cleaned up to build a pier as a reminiscence of the original one.

References

{{coord, 41.6564, N, 4.7349, W, source:wikidata, display=title Palaces in Valladolid Demolished buildings and structures in Spain Buildings and structures completed in 1605 Royal residences in Spain Former palaces in Spain Herrerian architecture Buildings and structures demolished in the 18th century 1761 disestablishments in Europe 1760s disestablishments in Spain