Palacio Abacial - Alcalá la Real
The rebuilding of the Abbatial Palace was ordered by the Abbot, Esteban Lorenzo Mendoza y Gatica, in 1781, who decided to build it in the expansion area of the city after leaving Castillo de la Mota in the upper part, endowing it with baroque and neoclassical elements. The new building and façade were the result of the combining of several houses. This mansion maintained its use up to 1851, when the Abbey of Alcalá la Real was suppressed. After years of undetermined fate, it became the abbatial archive and residence of the Archpriest of the Ecclesiastical Territory. In 1927, the building became municipal property, with school classrooms and other services being installed. The Spanish Civil War caused significant damage, although it was again restored to give it new uses. In 1959, it was the Headquarters of the Centro Oficial de Patronato de Enseñanza Media (Secondary School), which, some years later, became the Instituto de Bachillerato “Alfonso XI” (Official Centre for the High School Board), which would later become the “Alfonso XI” High School Institute. In 1995, the City Council and the Consejería de Obras Públicas de la Junta de Andalucía began the rehabilitation for giving it new uses in accord with the cultural demands of the city. Today, after four years of rehabilitation, the Abbatial Palace is the seat of the Municipal Museum. Located on Carrera de las Mercedes.
Location
Located at Palacio Abacial, Calle Carrera de las Mercedes, s/n, 23680 Alcalá la Real, Jaén