The evolution of Late Medieval Seigniorial Residences in the Basque Country: analysis of a Pre-Renaissance Palace: the Guevara Palace in Segura (Gipuzkoa, Spain)

Abstract

The Late Medieval Seigniorial Residence is one of the most relevant elements of the built heritage of the Basque Country (Spain). The architectural form of these buildings evolved from the defensive Tower Houses of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to the early Renaissance Palaces of the sixteenth century, due to the decrease of the intensity of medieval conflicts. Analysis carried out in a previous project, which has generated an inventory of Late Medieval Seigniorial Residences in the Basque Country, has identified four main evolutionary phases: single Tower Houses, Tower Houses transformed into Palaces, Tower Houses with annexed Palaces and Pre-Renaissance Palaces. This paper aims to analyze the last evolution phase of this building-typology, by the study of a singular case: the Guevara Palace in Segura (Gipuzkoa, Spain). The building has been investigated from different perspectives through historical documentary analysis, historical constructive analysis and structural pathologies analysis. The research has identified six different building periods in the Guevara Palace. Although the building suffered main transformations throughout the nineteenth century, it has kept many of its original architectural features, such as the main facade sandstone masonry walls, a major part of the timber structure or Catholic Kings Style ornamentation details; a wide range of architectural elements that show the characteristic features of Pre-Renaissance Palaces. This paper is part of a broader research project which aims to develop a cataloguing model for Late Medieval Seigniorial Residences of the Basque Country.