The Palace of Lourizán is a

pazo A pazo is a type of Galician traditional house. Similar to a manor house, pazos are usually located in the countryside, as former residences of important people in the community (formerly of kings and nobility). They were of crucial importance in ...

with a park that houses a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

. The estate is located in Herbalonga, in the civil parish of Lourizán, in

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

, Spain. The property, owned by the

Xunta de Galicia The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-president(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consel ...

since 2023, houses a Center for Environmental and Forestry Research and the associated higher school since the 1940s.

History

In the 15th century this property was transformed into a farm and belonged to the Montenegro family. The circular crenellated

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

dates from this period. A fortified tower-house was built on the estate, where

Luis de Góngora Luis de Góngora y Argote (born Luis de Argote y Góngora; ; 11 July 1561 – 24 May 1627) was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet and a Catholic prebendary for the Church of Córdoba. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widel ...

spent some time in 1609 and wrote part of his book ''

Soledades ''Las Soledades'' (''Solitudes'') is a poem by Luis de Góngora, composed in 1613 in silva (Spanish strophe) in hendecasyllables (lines of eleven syllables) and heptasyllables (seven syllables). Góngora intended to divide the poem in four part ...

''. In the 17th century, the estate, known as , was owned by the Marquisate of La Sierra. Later it had different owners, merchants and businessmen. In the 19th century, the palace belonged to Buenaventura Marcó del Pont Bori, after he bought it from the heirs of Francisco Genaro Ángel, his wife's brother. Later it was converted into a main residence and a summer cottage when

Eugenio Montero Ríos Eugenio Montero Ríos (13 November 1832, in Santiago de Compostela – 12 May 1914, in Madrid) was a leading member of the Spanish Liberal Party before being part of a 1903 schism that divided it. He also served briefly as Prime Minister of Sp ...

lived there. In October 1876 he rented the estate and acquired it on 16 May 1879. At that time the estate reached the banks of the

Ria de Pontevedra The Ria de Pontevedra is located in the Province of Pontevedra, in Galicia, Spain. It is one of the three main maritime entrances of Galicia, the Rías Baixas, the most touristic area of the region. It is also the most regular of them and the thi ...

and had its own pier. Between 1893 and 1894, the first major refurbishment of the manor house was carried out. It consisted of creating a wooden gallery in the south wing, which enclosed the building's chapel. The pazo became an ostentatious residence with representative institutional functions, as well as a living, leisure and recreational space. The Treaty of Paris was signed in its rooms after the war with the United States in 1898, in which Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. Eugenio Montero Ríos commissioned the architect to completely renovate the palace in the early 20th century. The aim was to turn the pazo into a large residential palace, imitating and surpassing in size the typology of the hôtels particuliers in the fashion of the French

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...

. The project's façade plan dates from 20 February 1909 and it integrated and harmonised elements from different stages of construction to create an architectural unity. The refurbishment gave the palace a new appearance, both on the outside and inside. Work began in September 1909 and was completed in 1912. Originally, the marble statues on the great central staircase leading to the palace formed the so-called avenue of statues, but with this major refurbishment of the pazo they were relocated to the staircase. Eugenio Montero Ríos lived in the Lourizán Palace until his death in 1914. The Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra bought it in 1943 from the Provincial Savings Bank of Pontevedra and (a fifth) from the widowed Marquise of Alhucemas, daughter of Montero Ríos. That same year, the Provincial Deputation handed it over to the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

to be used as a regional centre for teaching, research and forestry experiments, and in 1946 it became a higher technical school of forestry. The centre became part of the National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) in 1973 and in 1984 it was transferred to the

. It is currently integrated into the Centre for Sustainable Development of the Regional Environment Office since 1991. The main objectives of the Environmental and Forestry Research Centre of Lourizán are the protection, conservation and improvement of Galicia's forestry heritage. On 19 May 2023, the estate became the property of the Xunta de Galicia.

Description

The building

The present manor house has a romantic air and is the work of Jenaro de la Fuente Domínguez. It is an eclectic building with influences from

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

Classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthe ...

and the French architecture of the Second Empire. The structure of the palace is symmetrical, monumental and with a predominance of horizontal volumes. It has a ground floor and two upper floors. The central body is U-shaped with three towers crowned by French mansards and slate roof. The facade has

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

and

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s. The central part is enhanced by a coat of arms and a clock, in the place where the coats of arms of Galician manor houses are usually found. In front of this central body, advanced in relation to the sides, is a large two-flight imperial stone staircase, surrounded by neoclassical white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

statues personifying justice and prudence and representing virtues, values and devotions. At the top of the staircase are the statues of

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was a Roman people, Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns against Arminius in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicu ...

Discobolus The ''Discobolus'' by Myron (" discus thrower", , ''Diskobólos'') is an ancient Greek sculpture completed at the start of the Classical period in around 460–450 BC that depicts an ancient Greek athlete throwing a discus. Though the origin ...

, the

Dying Slave The ''Dying Slave'' (, ) is a sculpture by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo, created between 1513 and 1516. It was intended to accompany another figure, the '' Rebellious Slave'', as part of the design for the tomb of Pope Julius II. ...

and

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

, while at the ends of the

rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...

are the statues of Pallas

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

and Diana of Gabii. In the pavilions on the main façade, next to the entrance door to the vestibule, the allegories of Spring and Summer can be seen. The round staircase generates a belvedere from which to contemplate the views in imitation of the French baroque style. This staircase leads to the main entrance and to a semicircular terrace (which serves as a viewpoint) above an artificial

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

that simulates a volcanic limestone cave called the Grotto of Mirrors. At this point, two side wings open up, consisting of light

long galleries In architecture, a long gallery is a long, narrow room, often with a high ceiling. In Britain, long galleries were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses. They were normally placed on the highest reception floor of English country house ...

of stone and glass that envelop the old

. On the first floor, the facades of the side wings give way to the central body and create terraces with

balustrades A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

. In these lateral sections, the high windows, pilasters, balconies, dormers and domes lined with zinc scales of the ''dôme à l'impériale'' type are repeated, which reinforce the elegance of the palace. The large number of windows and balconies stand out, bringing light and lightness to the structure. The decoration is remarkable for the fusion of neoclassical and

elements. The columns, balconies and ornaments show classical resources. The triangular

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

of the central body is decorated with the symbols of the profession of Eugenio Montero Ríos, and the attributes of justice, a shield with a book and a feather. The interior is accessed through a simple door with the initials on the glass of its former owners, "E and A", "Eugenio and Avelina". The interior of the palace is organised around the three floors visible from the outside, where the ground floor and the first floor contain the remains of the walls of the first house and pazo. The rooms are distributed according to two halves separated by a long corridor that runs along the entire length of the building, as in palatial architecture, leaving the rooms of higher rank, the rooms for receiving visitors, lounges and offices, towards the front facade facing the park, and the accessory parts such as servants' quarters, kitchen and pantries towards the rear facing the farmyard.

The estate

The estate has of gardens and groves, which show the different uses to which it has been put over the centuries: farm, seigneurial

, and forestry research centre. It has one of the most important tree groves in Europe, with plant species brought from other latitudes or even singular modifications of species to adapt them to the climate of Pontevedra, resulting in a unique forest ensemble. Many native trees grow here, such as oaks, chestnuts and

Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

es, sycamores and introduced and exotic trees, such as

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

es,

Araucaria ''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. While today they are largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, during the Jurassic and Cretaceous they were glo ...

s, cedars, magnolias or common

privet A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees, with a native distribution from Europe to tropical and subtropical Asia, and with one species each ...

, many of which were brought by French gardeners. Several of these trees are included in the Catalogue of Singular Trees of the Galician Government. There are arboretums with all varieties of chestnut trees, pines, eucalyptus or camellias, with the tallest specimen in the world, a tall Japanese camellia. There is also a

rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a dioecious evergreen conifer, reaching heights of up to , and can have a stout trunk (botany), trunk up to in diameter. It is endemis ...

from New Zealand and a small Taiwanese garden. Around the palace there are ponds, granaries on stilts, a 15th-century dovecote, a glass

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

with an iron structure from 1900, a one-piece granite table (apparently extracted from a rock on the

Tambo Island The Tambo Island is an island in the middle of the Pontevedra bay, in Spain. It belongs to the municipality of Poio, from which it is separated by a 1.1 km long but shallow channel. Its surface area is 0.28 km2, with a maximum height ...

), white marble statues and several fountains, such as that of the Shell, that of the Three Channels, that of the Patio and that of the Cave of Mirrors. The estate is organised into avenues: the Camellia Avenue, the Eucalyptus Avenue and the Cave of Mirrors Avenue. The art nouveau greenhouse from the early 20th century is made of glass and wrought iron and the Galician attic with its

threshing floor Threshing or thrashing is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain. History of ...

and dryer has 16 feet. The greenhouse is notable for its large, light structure with a rectangular ground plan. Its highest point is in the central space, where the larger species are cultivated, leaving the side spaces for smaller plants.

Culture

Writer Lola Fernández Pazos published in 2022 the novel ''El Pazo de Lourizán'', which is set in the palace. Tambo Island was once part of the palace's property. Montero Ríos bought three fifths of the island in 1884 and another fifth in 1894. In 1940, his children sold it to the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

for use by the Naval Military Academy.

Gallery

File:Pontevedra-Pazo Montero Rïos, fachada principal (8392745685).jpg, Détail of the façade File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán00 (4447407972).jpg, The palace in front of the great cedar File:Pontevedra, Pazo de Lourizán 46.jpg, Fountain File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán-Pasillo (6794452218).jpg, Corridor inside the palace File:Pontevedra, Pazo de Lourizán 2.jpg, The windows of the pazo in the background from the grove File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán32 (4526492971).jpg, Side of the façade with the staircase and the door File:Pontevedra-El invernadero de Lourizán (16340779512).jpg, Glasshouse in the palace garden File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán08 (4447410228).jpg, Façade with solainas File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán20 (4523690496).jpg, Perron and camellias File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán03 (4453657140).jpg, View of the main façade from the staircase File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán10 (4466686294).jpg, Sculpture in the garden File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán15 (4470309346).jpg, Gardens with azaleas and palm trees File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán26 (4463624248).jpg, Magnolia File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán14 (4462845859).jpg, Caves in the garden File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán28 (4475914110).jpg, Camellia Alley File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán30 (4473697610).jpg, Granite table in the garden under the pergola. The stone may come from a rock on Tambo Island File:Pontevedra, Galiza. Pazo de Lourizán.jpg, Façade File:Pontevedra-Pazo de Lourizán06.jpg, Perron File:Palacio lourizan.jpg, Hedge and flower bed

History

Description

The building

The estate

Culture

Gallery

References

See also

Bibliography

Related articles

External links