Palacio Vela de los Cobos

The Vela de los Cobos palace is a Renaissance noble palace located in the historic centre of the city of Úbeda, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It was commissioned by the regidor of Úbeda Francisco Vela de los Cobos in the mid-16th century. The design of the building was by Andrés de Vandelvira and its execution was the work of the stonemason Jorge Leal. It forms part of the Renaissance monumental ensemble of Úbeda, which together with that of Baeza was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2003.

The imposing stone façade consists of 3 storeys; on the lower one is a lintelled doorway framed by two Corinthian columns; on the first floor the balconies stand out, the central one displaying the family arms supported by two telamones or warriors, the two lateral ones framed by Ionic columns and triangular pediments, and at the end a most beautiful corner balcony characteristic of the Andalusian Renaissance. The top floor consists of an open gallery formed by semicircular arches supported by pillars. The interior has undergone various transformations, among them the disappearance of the central courtyard in the 19th century.

It currently contains a collection of works of art and an important library. The Vela de los Cobos Palace should not be confused with the Palace of Los Cobos, also in the city of Úbeda, commissioned by Francisco de los Cobos, secretary to Charles V. It is currently the only palace in the province that remains inhabited as a residence and that allows visits.

Machine-translated from “Palacio Vela de los Cobos” on the Spanish Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Palacio Vela de los Cobos ranks #7,334 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #568 of the 600 mapped in Spain. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Jaén, 45 km away. It is one of the 125 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Andalusia. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia (in Spanish) ↗