The Evolution of Late Medieval Seigniorial Residences in The Basque Country. Analysis of the Guevara Palace and Its Constructive System

Abstract

In the Late Middle Ages, the architectural form of Seigniorial Residences evolved from the defensive Tower Houses of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to the early Palaces of the sixteenth century, due to the decrease of the medieval conflicts. The 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 of this architectonic typology: Tower House, Tower House transformed into Palace, Tower House with annexed Palace and Pre-Renaissance Palace. This paper aims to analyze the constructive system of the last evolutionary phase, by the study of a characteristic Pre-Renaissance Palace: The Guevara Palace in Segura (Gipuzkoa-Spain). The building has been investigated through historical-documentary analysis and historical-constructive analysis, in order to determinate its original shape and constructive system. This research has identified six different building periods in the Guevara Palace. In spite of the building was significantly transformed in the nineteenth century, the study has determined that a significant number of original architectural elements have been kept, such as main façade sandstone masonry walls, a major part of the timber structure, Catholic Kings Style ornamentation details or several windows and doorways, some of them bricked up and covered. The information obtained has served to carry out the 3d reconstruction of the palace, showing 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.