HOUSE OF SOLIS
10 minutes
The House of Solís is located in the Plaza de San Benito, right in the heart of Salamanca's historic quarter. This noble residence was built in the 16th century by the Solís family, one of the most influential lineages in Salamancan society of the time. Its most outstanding element is the facade, built of ashlar sandstone, as only some coffered ceilings are preserved from the original interior. In Plateresque style, the facade displays the heraldic shields of the Solís and other related families. Currently, the building belongs to the University of Salamanca and houses the institution's Publications Service.
Read More
During the first half of the 16th century, Salamanca experienced a period of splendor driven by the rise of its University. It was during this period that numerous convents, colleges, and university buildings were constructed, transforming the city into a Renaissance urban center, progressively leaving behind its medieval appearance. Simultaneously, the nobility joined the new Renaissance fashion, replacing their old fortified tower houses with noble homes and elegant Renaissance palaces. The Plazas of San Adrián, Santo Tomé, and San Benito concentrated a large part of these new palaces in the 16th century.
The Plaza de San Benito is one of the corners that has best preserved its essence throughout the centuries. However, its current appearance is due to the profound renovation of the buildings surrounding it in the 16th century. At the beginning of that century, thanks to the patronage of Archbishop Fonseca, the old Romanesque parish church was completely rebuilt and transformed into a magnificent example of Hispano-Flemish architecture. Over time, the physiognomy of the square changed notably: on the one hand, the large dimensions of the new temple considerably reduced the open space; on the other, the palaces that closed it off to the west disappeared with the construction of the Colegio de la Compañía and the Convento de las Agustinas.
Despite these transformations, the palaces located in the northeast bend of the square are still preserved. That of the comunero Pedro Maldonado was converted in the 16th century into the convent of the Madre de Dios, while the adjoining palaces of Diego Maldonado and Solís today belong to the University of Salamanca.
From the Solís Palace, we know, thanks to the historian Álvarez Villar, that in 1525 it was owned by Melén Suárez de Solís. That same year he established a mayorazgo (entailment) in favor of his son Francisco de Solís, linking his main house, located in the San Benito district and bordering the residence of the steward Maldonado, to it. What is not entirely clear is whether the current house corresponds to the one mentioned in the document creating the mayorazgo or if it was subsequently rebuilt by Francisco himself.
For centuries, the building was used as a private residence. In 1933, it was converted into a Red Cross dispensary, along with the adjoining Diego Maldonado Palace. Both properties were acquired in 1987 by the Junta de Castilla y León, which transferred them to the University of Salamanca. The last major renovation was carried out between 1989 and 1991 to adapt it to its current use. The dilapidated state of its interior only allowed the preservation of the facades and some of the wooden coffered ceilings. On the Calle Meléndez facade, the glazed viewpoint was maintained, the result of a renovation carried out around 1920. Today, the building houses the Publications Service of the University of Salamanca.
The Plaza de San Benito is one of the corners that has best preserved its essence throughout the centuries. However, its current appearance is due to the profound renovation of the buildings surrounding it in the 16th century. At the beginning of that century, thanks to the patronage of Archbishop Fonseca, the old Romanesque parish church was completely rebuilt and transformed into a magnificent example of Hispano-Flemish architecture. Over time, the physiognomy of the square changed notably: on the one hand, the large dimensions of the new temple considerably reduced the open space; on the other, the palaces that closed it off to the west disappeared with the construction of the Colegio de la Compañía and the Convento de las Agustinas.
Despite these transformations, the palaces located in the northeast bend of the square are still preserved. That of the comunero Pedro Maldonado was converted in the 16th century into the convent of the Madre de Dios, while the adjoining palaces of Diego Maldonado and Solís today belong to the University of Salamanca.
From the Solís Palace, we know, thanks to the historian Álvarez Villar, that in 1525 it was owned by Melén Suárez de Solís. That same year he established a mayorazgo (entailment) in favor of his son Francisco de Solís, linking his main house, located in the San Benito district and bordering the residence of the steward Maldonado, to it. What is not entirely clear is whether the current house corresponds to the one mentioned in the document creating the mayorazgo or if it was subsequently rebuilt by Francisco himself.
For centuries, the building was used as a private residence. In 1933, it was converted into a Red Cross dispensary, along with the adjoining Diego Maldonado Palace. Both properties were acquired in 1987 by the Junta de Castilla y León, which transferred them to the University of Salamanca. The last major renovation was carried out between 1989 and 1991 to adapt it to its current use. The dilapidated state of its interior only allowed the preservation of the facades and some of the wooden coffered ceilings. On the Calle Meléndez facade, the glazed viewpoint was maintained, the result of a renovation carried out around 1920. Today, the building houses the Publications Service of the University of Salamanca.
Between Meléndez and Compañía streets lies Plaza de San Benito, an exceptional corner that preserves almost intact the flavor of past centuries. Although it is in the heart of the historic center, it remains discreetly hidden from the sight of tourists who walk the main streets. The space is dominated by the imposing presence of the church of San Benito, surrounded by palaces dating from the early 16th century.
The facade of the Palacio de Solís, made of carefully crafted sandstone ashlar, concentrates all the interest of the building. The door occupies a central position on the facade. It is a lintelled opening, with large voussoirs framed by a frieze supported by slender fluted columns, like an alfiz. The frieze features beautiful grotesque decoration and is topped with two flaming torchères flanking the window of the main floor. By the way, according to Julián Álvarez Villar, the Hispanist Arthur Byne wanted to buy this window in 1931 for Williams Randolph Hearst, the American multimillionaire who inspired Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane, with the aim of moving it to his San Simeon residence in California.
Above the window is the Solís coat of arms, with a radiant sun inscribed in a laurel wreath. In the spandrels of the lintel appear the blazons reflecting family ties: on the right, those of Anaya, Monroy, Abarca, and Díaz de Ledesma; on the left, those of Solís, Zúñiga, Maldonado, and Rodríguez. These alliances of the Solís family predate 1540. The gallery formed by circular skylights that crowns the facade appears to be a later addition, probably from the 17th century, a period during which works on the house and an increase in the facade's height are documented.
Hardly anything of the original building is preserved inside. On the main floor, a floor structure, presumably dating from the 16th century, was recovered and restored.
The facade of the Palacio de Solís, made of carefully crafted sandstone ashlar, concentrates all the interest of the building. The door occupies a central position on the facade. It is a lintelled opening, with large voussoirs framed by a frieze supported by slender fluted columns, like an alfiz. The frieze features beautiful grotesque decoration and is topped with two flaming torchères flanking the window of the main floor. By the way, according to Julián Álvarez Villar, the Hispanist Arthur Byne wanted to buy this window in 1931 for Williams Randolph Hearst, the American multimillionaire who inspired Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane, with the aim of moving it to his San Simeon residence in California.
Above the window is the Solís coat of arms, with a radiant sun inscribed in a laurel wreath. In the spandrels of the lintel appear the blazons reflecting family ties: on the right, those of Anaya, Monroy, Abarca, and Díaz de Ledesma; on the left, those of Solís, Zúñiga, Maldonado, and Rodríguez. These alliances of the Solís family predate 1540. The gallery formed by circular skylights that crowns the facade appears to be a later addition, probably from the 17th century, a period during which works on the house and an increase in the facade's height are documented.
Hardly anything of the original building is preserved inside. On the main floor, a floor structure, presumably dating from the 16th century, was recovered and restored.