Concept
Palacio de las Dueñas (occasionally, Casa Palacio de las Dueñas) is a palace in Seville, Spain, currently belonging to the House of Alba. It was built in the late 15th century in the Renaissance style with Gothic and Moorish influences. The palace is one of the major historic homes of great architectural and artistic heritage in the city. The poet Antonio Machado was born here, as were Carlos Falcó, 5th Marquess of Griñón and the Marquess of Castel-Moncayo. On October 5, 2011 Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba married her third husband here. The palace became a national monument on June 3, 1931. The promoter of its opening to tourist visits (in 2016) was the current Duke of Alba, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo. Today is one of the most visited monuments in Seville. The palace was constructed in the late 15th century, a time associated with a robust economy in the area, which included the construction of the Alcazar Real and the Casa de Pilatos. It was built by the Pineda family, Lords of Casabermeja. In 1496, Pedro Pineda, Mayor of the city and his wife, Doña Maria de Monsalve, sold their home to Doña Catalina de Ribera, widow of Governor Don Pedro Enriquez, to raise ransom money to retrieve Don Juan de Pineda, taken prisoner by the Moors. Thereafter, a series of expansions occurred, later forming a Renaissance palace under the auspices of Fernando Enrique de Ribera y Quinones and especially his widow Doña Inés Portocarrero y Cardenas (great-great-grandmother of Ana de Velasco y Girón). The building became the property of the House of Alba after the marriage of the 5th Marchioness of Villanueva del Río to the 4th Duke of Alba. For a time, it was the residence of Lord Holland, an ardent admirer of Spanish literature, and the author of a memoir on Lope de Vega and Guillen de Castro. Machado lived in the palace during his early childhood, his father serving as the Duke of Alba's caretaker. The palace's name derives from the monastery of Santa María de las Dueñas, which in 1248 was known to house nuns and servants of Saint Ferdinand and Alfonso X the Wise.
