Casa de los Pinelo, Seville

Palace in Seville

CC BY-SA 3.0 / José Luis Filpo Cabana

The Casa de los Pinelo, located in the historic center of Seville, is one of the city's finest examples of Renaissance domestic architecture. Originally a medieval house-palace, it was transformed during the sixteenth century into one of Seville's elegant Renaissance Palaces, reflecting the new artistic spirit of the time. The building shares stylistic similarities with other noble residences from the same era, such as Casa de Pilatos, Palacio de las Dueñas, and Palacio de Mañara, all of which blend Gothic and Mudéjar origins with classical symmetry and proportion. Casa de los Pinelo is organized around four open-air spaces: a mounting block area for horses, the court of honor surrounded by reception halls, a rear garden adorned with galleries and fountains, and a smaller, simpler fourth patio. Each of these spaces is designed to capture light and air, following the Sevillian tradition of inward-facing houses that create a sense of quiet and intimacy in the middle of the city.

Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Seville

Today, the building houses two of Seville's most respected cultural institutions: the Royal Academy of Letters and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. The latter is dedicated to the study, promotion, and conservation of the visual arts. Its mission includes preserving works that form part of Seville's artistic heritage and fostering new research and public awareness of Andalusian creativity. Within its rooms and galleries are works by Pablo Picasso, including a matador's cape he decorated and signed, as well as pieces by notable Sevillian painters such as García Ramos, Gonzalo Bilbao, and Alfonso Grosso. The upper galleries also display sculptures by modern artists, continuing the building's long association with artistic expression.

Visitors to the Casa de los Pinelo may occasionally take part in themed evening tours organized by the Academy. These events bring to life some of the house's most famous historical guests and residents, including Murillo, Luis Montoto, Picasso, Fernán Caballero, Gonzalo Bilbao, and Antonio Susillo. The combination of art, history, and setting makes the experience particularly evocative, allowing guests to explore the same rooms and courtyards that inspired Seville's artists for centuries.

The History of the Casa de los Pinelo

The history of the Casa de los Pinelo begins in the early sixteenth century, when it was commissioned by Don Diego Pinelo, a canon of Seville Cathedral. At that time, the house became one of the first and most important noble residences in the city. The Pinelo family owned it until 1524, when they donated it to the Cathedral of Seville. For centuries it remained in the hands of the cathedral canons, serving both as a residence and administrative space. During the nineteenth-century confiscations, the property was sold into private hands, a fate shared by many ecclesiastical buildings of the period. In 1966, the Casa de los Pinelo entered a new chapter when it was acquired by the City Council of Seville, which restored it and dedicated it to the cultural life of the city. Today it stands as a living monument to Seville's Renaissance past and its enduring devotion to art, learning, and architectural beauty.

The Casa de los Pinelo appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Seville!

This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you!