Palacio de Villavicencio

Miguel Fernandez de Villavicencio was granted land in Jerez de la Frontera by King Ferdinand III as a reward for reconquering Andalucia (including Jerez de la Frontera) from the Moors in 1264. Having lost his father's Villavicencio Manor in Castille because of political problems, he settled his family in Jerez de la Frontera.

The son of Miguel was Gonzalo Nunez de Villavicencio who became a "regidor" of Jerez de la Frontera. Lorenzo Fernandez de Villavicencio was the son of Gonzalo and he was one of the first wardens of the city. The Villavicencio's belong to a noble lineage and was one of the most powerful families of the city. They initiated the rehabilitation of the city including the ruins of the "alcazar" or fortress of Jerez de la Frontera. The fortress has Almohad architecture, one of the few that existed in Spain.

Inside the "alcazar" is the baroque Palacio de Villavicencio which was created in 1664 from the ruins of an earlier Moorish Palace. It served as the residence of governors and elected representatives of the city. The palace was inherited by Don Bartolome de Villavicencio.

On October 16, 2012, my three sisters Illa, Linda and Gina together with my daughter Michelle and myself went to Jerez de la Frontera and visited the Alcazar de Jerez where the Palace is located. View pictures below.

The palace consists of a three-storey structure with the first floor retaining its original beauty and decoration. The second floor contains the former municipal pharmacy with its original furniture and beautifully-carved wood and collection of "albarellos" (medicinal jars).

A major attraction of the Palace is the "camera obscura" located inside the main tower, the highest in the city. It has a simple set of lenses and mirrors where one can view in real-time the whole city with its churches, monuments, bell towers, roofs of the palaces and mansions and including the remote farmlands in the countryside.

Palacio Villavicencio Map