Casa de los Utrera: the Baroque palace of Tartanedo

An intact manor house

Standing detached on the slope climbing to the church of San Bartolomé, this is one of the best-preserved noble residences in the Señorío. Its distinguishing merit is having hardly changed, inside or out, since its construction three centuries ago.

Nobleman or bishop?

The coat of arms presiding over the facade belongs to Pedro de Utrera, a nobleman who built it in the early 18th century. Yet in Tartanedo it is popularly known as the Bishop’s palace, because local tradition attributes it to Francisco Javier Utrera, a bishop born in the village during the same century.

Molinesa manor architecture

It exemplifies the noble architecture of the Señorío de Molina: ashlar facades, imposing carriage entrances, heraldic shields, and wrought-iron grills, serving gentry families whose wealth derived from sheep wool and agriculture. Comparable mansions stand in Tortuera and Peralejos.