Palace of the Earl of Padul, Granada, Spain. A Milestone in a Crossroad

Abstract

The Palace of the Counts of Padul is the most emblematic building of Padul, Province of Granada in Spain, being one of the most remarkable buildings of the region of the Valley of Lecrín. It is a building of undoubted historical value. It is classified as one of Cultural Interest, which means maximum level of protection of the Spanish legislation in historical heritage. In spite of being a historical symbol of Padul, most of the citizens ignore its importance.It was built in the first part of the XVII century. D. Antonio de Aróstegui y Zazo (knight of the Santiago order and a secretary of Felipe III) was its developer. He gave the building a noble character with an unusual design for this shire. The ground floor has an L shape. Besides, it has two floors and two squared towers, and standing out there is a third floor covered by a pitched roof. Also, it has load-bearing walls of masonry. Only the corners are built with carved stones. Deck is built with logs, and bricks, and wooden roof trusses. It looks like a solid simple house of civil architecture at the beginning of the Baroque style. Analyzing the urban morphology of Padul, the uniqueness of the plot is important related to the urban fabric. It is also remarkable its strategic position with respect to the historical roads that crossed there: The royal road that came from Granada heading to the Alpujarras, and leading to Motril and the road that starting in Malaga crossed through Alhama and arrived in Padul. It is clear the function of controlling the necessary passage towards the Lecrin Valley, the Alpujarras and the Mediterranean coast. Immediately after its declaration in 1981 as a National Monument, and despite this, it suffered an unfortunate intervention which has been maintained until today. The council of Padul would like to acquire it presenting a project for its recovery. This situation provoked the invitation of the council to the University of Granada to help with that. And this would allow the students of Final Project Degree of the Higher Technical School of Building Engineering to have it as a real object to work. By focusing our attention on this building, it is intended to preserve its valuable heritage, showing its history, proposing technical solutions for preservation, and finally, to make the Casa Grande popular for the residents of Padul and all visitors.