Palace of the Marquis of Salvatierra

If you have managed to tempt fate by repeatedly crossing the Puente Nuevo and daring the bulls in the Plaza de Toros without any hard painful tales to tell, then please make your way to the Padre Jesus Quarter in the La Ciudad section of Ronda where you will find the baroque palace of the Marquis of Salvatierra. We are sure that you will spend many an hour staring at its exterior and admiring what is inside.

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The region of Ronda has been settled in for a long time. Its natural beauty and location have attracted people for millennia, many of which stayed permanently. You will pass through the Ancient Roman ruins of Acinipo as you approach the plateau, whose cliffs drop sharply to the Guadalevin River. Only those with wings should attempt a jump.

The carvings on the window over the front door of the Palace are worthy of note

When the Moors conquered it in 711, they recognized its use as a natural fortress, so it became a centre of culture and power. Most of the city’s architecture that you see today is their gift. It would be one of the last cities to resist the Reconquista falling in 1485, which would be marked by the construction of the El Espiritu Santo or the Holy Ghost Church. The baths have fallen in ruins and the Mondragon Palace has lost most of its original character.

The palace was built in 1784, almost 300 years after the Reconquista, which one can not help but remark on. The Salvatierra’s were a noble family named as the royal representative after the Moors surrendered the city. Baroque dominated the XVIIIth world of architecture in Spain, although regional peculiarities found their way into the design.

This view of palace of marquis of salvatierra in Ronda gives you a look at the curved nature of the building

Approaching the palace, you should pause a moment and admire the door and façade, which is two storeys high. Made of sandstone, which was the principal material used to build houses and cathedrals, it is attractive to the eye. The frontispiece, which is the decorated entrance, predates the main structure as it is completed in 1748. It was the first piece to be built, and the palace was only completed about 35 years later. The door has a lintel supporting the balcony, whose wrought iron gate is typical of Ronda. A Corinthian column typified by its stone-carved leaves guards each side of the door. On the top of each column, there are two nude statues, a set of boys and girls. They are being playful and not mindful of the height, although they have to support the lintel. The family’s coat of arms is in the lintel’s centre.

Owners come and go, each one bringing their own tastes with them. The palace’s interior is no longer what it once was. A patio with a series of arches dominates the modest inner court. Unfortunately, the palace is now privately owned, so alhough there maybe no harm in asking when you get there, we are not sure how successful you will be in entering.