
Seville has an exceptional collection of palaces and palatial residences, the result of its past commercial splendor and its character as a center of power throughout history. There are very few remains of Muslim palaces that have survived to this day, so we can consider the Gothic Palace of the Alcázar as the oldest preserved in the city. It was ordered to be built in the 13th century by Alfonso X, very shortly after the conquest.
Also in the Alcázar, the Palace of King Don Pedro, built in the mid-14th century, is an authentic jewel of the city, constituting the most complete and beautiful example of Mudejar civil architecture. Following his model, the aristocratic families of the city built their residences throughout the historic center of the city since the Late Middle Ages.
Although we have some examples from the 15th century, the true splendor of palatial architecture in Seville occurred in the 16th, when the Renaissance influence from Italy combined with the city's Mudejar tradition, resulting in an exquisite style that Examples are as beautiful as the Casa Pilatos or the Palacio de Dueñas.
All of them follow a fairly similar scheme in their structure, with the most important spaces of the residence around a main courtyard, which is generally porticoed on both levels, with marble columns supporting semicircular or lowered arches, often Profusely decorated with Plateresque or Mudejar tradition motifs. The rest of the dependencies are articulated around smaller patios or small gardens, which vary depending on the dimensions and importance of the palace. Outside, they tend to emphasize the main entrance with marble portals that generally follow Italian Renaissance models.