Palacio de Molina: An Eighteenth-Century Palace in Cartagena
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Spanish
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page8 sections
History
Palacio de Molina is an eighteenth-century palace in Cartagena, Spain, built in the Baroque and Neoclassical traditions as the residence of the Marquises of Pinares. Located in the historic center of the city, it later became associated with the Molina family, whose name it retains.
The Marquises of Pinares
The building was constructed for the Marquises of Pinares, a noble family whose title placed them within the hereditary European aristocracy. Parts of the ground floor were later rented to commercial occupants. Among them was Nicolás Biale, an entrepreneur and consul of the Kingdom of Sardinia in Cartagena. He established a shipping agency in premises within the palace.
The Molina Family
Librada Felipa Biale Valarino, who may have been related to Nicolás Biale, married the lawyer Cirilo Molina Cros. Molina later served twice as mayor of Cartagena during the late nineteenth century. In 1871, he purchased the property from José Riquelme y Vivar, the third Marquis of Pinares. The Molina family then made the palace their home, giving rise to its present name. The building is also sometimes called the Molina palace-house, while the name Widow of Molina Palace is an incorrect designation.
Public and Political Uses
In 1923, Palacio de Molina accommodated King Alfonso XIII of Spain and his wife, Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg, during their visit to Cartagena to inaugurate the Monument to the Heroes of Cavite and the Regatta Club. During the Spanish Civil War, the People’s Army used the palace as a recreation and training center for women militiamen.
Municipal Ownership and Cultural Use
Proceedings to declare the building a property of cultural interest began in 1986, but the declaration has not received a final resolution. A real-estate company acquired the palace in 1987 for its definitive transfer to Cartagena City Council. Since 2000, the building has housed the Regional Craft Center and has also accommodated temporary exhibitions. The council proposed creating a museum of Cartagena’s Holy Week there in 2005, but the plan was later abandoned.
Remains
Palacio de Molina is a three-story building with a principal facade on Calle de la Jara and a rear facade on Calle Honda. Its exterior is notably austere, combining Baroque elements with the balanced classical vocabulary of Neoclassicism. The building is covered by a pitched roof with two slopes.
Facades and Entrance
The main entrance is emphasized by a doorway framed with Tuscan pilasters, a restrained classical form using plain columns and capitals. Two windows are enclosed balconies fitted with Baroque grilles, while the remaining windows open onto balconies. These features organize both facades while preserving the sober character of the palace’s exterior.
Original Interior
The original interior contained period sculpture and furniture. Its principal rooms included a library, a ballroom, a prominent picture gallery, and a chapel. Behind the chapel altar stood an altarpiece, a decorated structure placed behind an altar, with representations of angels; angels also appeared on the ceiling. Successive renovations adapted the building for its later function as the Regional Craft Center and stripped out all interiors that remained from the original palace.
