The building that houses the Parliament of La Rioja has a historic past.  A former convent of La Merced (14th century), in 1820 it was transformed into a barracks and in 1845 it became a military hospital, warehouse and artillery park. It was also used as a prison for a time. It regained its religious status between 1847 and 1868, when it was occupied by the Carmelite nuns. Coinciding with the presence of the Riojan Práxedes Mateo Sagasta in the Presidency of the Government, the procedures for its reconversion into a tobacco factory began, boosting the city’s economy.

Today the old convent is divided into three different areas: the Parliament of La Rioja in its central part, the Library in the east, and the Exhibition Hall Amos Salvador, on the west side.

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