Casa-palacio de las Godoyas

Casa-palacio de las Godoyas is a historic manor house in Fondón, a small town in the province of Almería, in Spain's Alpujarra region. The building stands on Calle Asunción Godoy and ranks among the most notable examples of civil architecture in this mountain town.

When was the palace built?

The house was most likely built in the late 17th or early 18th century. Its founders are believed to have been Captain Don Francisco del Moral and his wife Doña Francisca Campos, members of noble families descended from settlers who arrived in Fondón in 1572, mostly from Valdepeñas de Jaén, as part of the repopulation that followed the expulsion of the Moriscos from the Alpujarra.

What does the building's architecture look like?

The palace rises three storeys, with its facade carefully organized around three vertical axes of windows and balconies. The central axis is marked by a stone entrance portal flanked by pilasters and crowned with small pyramid-shaped decorative elements, topped by a balcony with a sturdy iron railing. The ground and first floors feature richly decorated window grilles. The top storey is defined by an arcaded gallery framed by pilasters, with a larger central arch holding a marble coat of arms of the Del Moral family, which visually dominates the whole facade.

What is the palace used for today?

The building's history has not always been smooth: for years it stood in a state of disrepair. The turning point came in 1988, when the owning family and the Fondón town council agreed on its restoration, carried out through a local training school (escuela taller). Since then, the upper floor has remained the family's residence, while the rest of the building serves the municipality. Some sources indicate it also served for a time as the town hall before becoming a cultural center in the summer of 2011. Today it hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions dedicated to the historical and cultural heritage of Fondón and the wider Alpujarra, covering everything from art and photography to traditional crafts.

Why visit Fondón alongside the palace?

Fondón is one of the towns of the Almería Alpujarra, a region known for its mountain villages, terraced farming, and a heritage shaped first by Moorish settlement and later by the Christian settlers who repopulated the area after the Moriscos were expelled in the 16th century. Casa-palacio de las Godoyas offers an excellent starting point for exploring this history, told both through its facade and through the exhibitions held inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who built the Casa-palacio de las Godoyas? The house was most likely commissioned by Captain Don Francisco del Moral and his wife Doña Francisca Campos, descendants of settler families who arrived in Fondón in 1572 following the expulsion of the Moriscos from the Alpujarra.

What architectural style does the facade show? The facade spans three storeys organized around three axes, featuring a stone entrance portal, a decorative arcaded gallery on the top floor, and a marble coat of arms of the Del Moral family at its center.

Can the palace be visited? Yes. The portion of the building owned by the municipality functions as a cultural center with permanent and temporary exhibitions on the heritage of Fondón and the Alpujarra, while the upper floor remains the private residence of the owning family.

Where does the name "Godoyas" come from? The name reflects a family later associated with the house, which is why it is popularly known today as Casa-palacio de las Godoyas, even though its original founders belonged to the Del Moral family.