Pazo de Mugartegui Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mugartegui Palace
Pazo de Mugartegui

General information
Type	Pazo
Location	Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Coordinates	42°26′00.9″N 8°38′35.8″W / 42.433583°N 8.643278°W / 42.433583; -8.643278
Current tenants	Regulatory Council of the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin
Completed	1771
Owner	City Council of Pontevedra
Technical details
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect	Pedro Antonio Ferreiro

The Mugartegui Palace (also known as the Palace of the Counts of Fefiñáns) is a beautiful old building in Pontevedra, Spain. It was built in the 1700s in a style called Baroque, which is known for being very fancy and detailed. Today, this palace is home to the main office for a special wine region called Rías Baixas Designation of Origin.

Where is the Mugartegui Palace?
History of the Palace
- Building the Mugartegui Palace
- What the Palace was Used For
What the Palace Looks Like
- Outside the Palace
- Special Decorations
Palace Culture and Events
Gallery
See also
- Related articles

Where is the Mugartegui Palace?

The Mugartegui Palace is in the Plaza de la Pedreira, right in the middle of Pontevedra's old town. It's very close to the old Burgo Bridge. This area is called "Plaza de la Pedreira" (which means "Stone Quarry Square") because long ago, many stones were gathered here to build the palace. These stones were used for the palace itself, as well as the nearby Church of Saint Bartholomew and the College of the Society of Jesus.

History of the Palace

Building the Mugartegui Palace

This grand pazo (a type of traditional Galician manor house) was built for José Manuel Valladares y Figueroa, who was the Count of Fefiñáns. It was constructed on the remains of an older house from the 1600s.

A skilled stonemason named Pedro Antonio Ferreiro finished most of the building in 1771. The last part, a special decorated section above the coat of arms, was completed in 1773. The palace later belonged to the Fernández de Mugártegui family, who were related to the Valladares. This is why it's now called the Mugartegui Palace.

What the Palace was Used For

In the 1800s, this manor house became a school. It was used as a college to train male teachers. Later, in the 1900s, the building was divided into several homes. From 1955, it became the home of the Jovellanos Academy of Studies.

Coat of arms of the Mugartegui Palace crowned by a stone sundial

Since 1998, the City Council of Pontevedra has owned the palace. They bought it on November 20, 1998. An architect named Jesús Aser Fole was in charge of making it new again.

Since 2003, the main office for the Rías Baixas Wine Denomination of Origin has been located here. This is a group that makes sure the wines from the Rías Baixas region are good quality. There's even a small wine museum on the ground floor! The City Council also uses the palace's rooms for important meetings, cultural events, and social gatherings. It officially opened for these new uses on March 24, 2001.

What the Palace Looks Like

Outside the Palace

The front of the Mugartegui Palace has a large entrance arch. Above it, there's a central balcony with a curved railing. The very top has a gable, which is the triangular part of a wall under a sloping roof.

On the ground floor, there are seven arches that used to lead to the stables and cellars. These arches are supported by small, simple columns. Above these arches, on the second floor, there are seven French windows. These are tall windows that often open like doors. In front of the middle French window, there's a small balcony with an iron railing.

Special Decorations

The middle part of the building has tall, flat columns called pilasters. These are topped with pointy decorations called pinnacles. At the very top, there's a special decorated section called a frontispiece. It sits on a split pediment, which is like a broken triangular shape.

This frontispiece has a fancy, curvy rococo coat of arms. A great helm (a type of helmet) sits on top of the coat of arms. Above that, you can see a sundial and a stone sun with rays coming from a smiling face. The coat of arms shows the symbols of important families: Figueroa, Arango, Quirós, and Omaña lineages.

On the back of the palace, there's a terrace. This terrace used to be a great spot to look out over the Lérez river.

Palace Culture and Events

The main hall of the Mugartegui Palace is often used by the City Hall of Pontevedra for fun cultural activities. It's also a popular place for people to celebrate weddings. Every year, a famous person stands on the palace's balcony to give a speech. This speech officially starts the August festivities for the Pilgrim Virgin of Pontevedra.