Palace of the Countess of Lebrija

Seville, Spain

The Lebrija Palace or Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija is a house-museum in central Seville. Dating to the 16th century and remodeled between the 18th and 20th centuries, the palace is characterised by its collection of art, including Roman mosaics and other antiquities as well as Asian art, paintings by European masters and European decorative arts.

The interior of the palace is decorated in a palette of architectural styles, with elements such as Moorish arches, Plateresque decoration, tilework retrieved from ruined convent, a coffered ceiling from a 16th-century palace and a Renaissance frieze, while its façade and layout reflect typical Andalusian style.

The collection includes Roman mosaics that pave almost the entire ground floor. Of particular note is the mosaic depicting the god Pan that was discovered on land owned by the countess and can be found in the palace’s central courtyard. The mosaic’s central medallion represents Pan, who is serenading Galatea on his flute, while the other medallions show the love stories of Zeus and the corners contain representations of the four seasons.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Calle Cuna 8, Seville, Spain
See all sites in Seville

Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Spain

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Michelle H (2 months ago)
I visited the first floor only as it was free on fridays (no reservations). I arrived about 15 min early and there were already about 20 people in line to get in. The ground floor is a museum that contains many Roman mosaics from nearby Italica as well as various objects objects and statues from antiquity. There are also many beautiful tiles or azulejos decorating the walls and even the ceilings in some rooms. There are placards with explanations in spanish and english. The second floor contains the countess' private apartments which I did not visit. According to the lady at the reception, this includes a library as well as many other rooms. Thanks to the Countess of Lebrija and her descendants for the collecting, preserving and restoring of all these historical artifacts so that we may enjoy and learn from them.
Sonia Fletcher (4 months ago)
I stumbled across the palace by chance on my second visit to Sevilla, and I am so glad that I did. The countess died in 1932 and was an avid collector of furniture and bits and pieces. But she also remodeled the palace to save some (I think 1-2BC) mosaics from the Roman ruins when they were uncovered at nearby Italica. Your €12 gets you a guided tour of the upstairs where you are not allowed to roam freely, and it is well worth it. Beautiful and the countess was a fascinating, 'modern' woman!
DameFairy (5 months ago)
The palace is not in my plan, we just walked pass by in front of the front and it looked so beautiful so we decided to walk in and it’s totally worth it. The whole palace is gorgeous and well preserved. The object collections were impressive. The Countess were a very cultured lady of her time. I was with a guided tour in Spanish and Maria is a very charming guide. I really recommend if you have an hour to stop by the palace, please do.
Leilani Osmundson (5 months ago)
Such a stunning palace with exquisite mosaic work! We explored the first floor on our own, and the second floor was guided (no pictures allowed since it's a private collection). The tour guide was fantastic. Don't miss this Sevilla gem!
Tom Courtney (5 months ago)
This is a hidden gem. If you ever wonder what someone with too much money does with their money. They collect stuff. It is like a mini Louvre. It has amazing mosaic floors. Very recommended for a visit.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.