Palacio de Doriga facts for kids
Doriga Palace is a historic building found in Salas, a town in Asturias, Spain. It's a special kind of building because it was made for noble families. Part of it was designed to be strong and protect people, like a small castle. The other part was a comfortable home where they lived.
The oldest part of Doriga Palace is a tall, square tower. This tower was built a long, long time ago, in the 14th century (that's the 1300s!). Later, in the 15th century (the 1400s), another block-shaped building was added next to the tower. The palace you see today, with its main living areas, was mostly finished in the early 16th century (the 1500s).
Palace Design
The Doriga Palace has a unique design that mixes old defense features with comfortable living spaces.
The Courtyard
The palace is built around a central courtyard, which is like an open-air room in the middle of the building. This courtyard is a bit rectangular. In the year 1600, new stone columns were added to the ground floor of this courtyard. There's even an old message carved into one of these columns that tells us this! At the same time, a new main entrance door was opened to lead into the courtyard.
There are 12 smooth stone columns in the courtyard. These replaced older columns that were made of wood. Above these stone columns, there are wooden blocks with fancy carvings. These blocks help support the open hallway on the main floor above. The railing of this hallway is made of beautifully turned wooden balusters, which are like small decorative posts. Below the railing, there's a row of small carved supports called canecillos.
Outside Walls
The main front of the palace has three main parts. On one side, there is the old tower. This tower has four sections and is topped with battlements, which are the notched walls you often see on castles. The other two parts of the palace also have three sections each, and their windows and doors are placed in a balanced way.
The main entrance door is on the right side of the palace. It's a rounded arch, and above it, you can see a shield with a family crest. The door is framed by a decorative molding called a chambranle. There's also a small square window right above the door, which has the same kind of decorative frame.
The Gardens
The palace is surrounded by a lovely park. This park is enclosed by a strong wall that also has battlements, just like a castle wall. The wall has a roof over parts of it. On either side of the park, there are two rounded sections of the wall. Each of these sections has a narrow opening called an arrowslit in the middle. These were used in the past for archers to shoot arrows through, showing the palace's defensive past.
