The Architecture of Archives

Tourists and travelers rarely visit these historical archives, and nor do the residents of the cities themselves. However, these buildings contain much of the history of Andalusia and its rulers, people, cultures, and customs, as well as the ways in which the community lived and survived.

But here, we're going to shift our focus from the incredible documentation held in the archives to the buildings that house these collections. These palaces, churches, and monasteries are all classified as sites of historical and artistic heritage. Come and see for yourselves.

On June 3, 1692, a Corpus Christi procession was passing by this house when the heavens opened. The owner of the building, a wealthy Portuguese merchant named Don Diego Barrios de la Rosa y Soto, went outside and invited the Bishop of Cádiz, Don José de Barcia y Zambrana, to shelter the Blessed Sacrament in his chapel until the weather improved.

Don Diego was so affected by this extraordinary visit—which he believed to be by divine intervention—that he devised a project to completely rebuild his house. He bought the two buildings either side, combining all three sites to construct the building that is still standing today.

He installed a magnificent Carrara marble facade, created by the sculptor Jacobo Antonio Ponzanelli. For the frontispiece, he commissioned a stone tablet chronicling the events of the Corpus procession of 1692 in Latin.

To make the house even more distinctive, Don Diego requested the "privilege of the chains" from the King of Spain, placing columns linked by chains on the front of the building to indicate that the residents enjoyed judicial immunity.

Although the chains disappeared around 1730, this building is still known to locals as La Casa de las Cadenas.

Two buildings have been rebuilt and renovated for the Provincial Historical Archive of Córdoba: the first to house the documentary archives, and the second for the other departments.

The documentary archive sits in the former Church of Santo Domingo de Silos—one of 14 which Ferdinand III established when he regained control of the city. Like many other buildings in the province of Córdoba—where cities were built over existing ones—the church was built on the site of a Roman structure. An excavation in its basement revealed a mosaic of "The Four Seasons," dating from the late 4th or early 5th century. This is on display in the province's Archaeological Museum today.

The church still retains its original structure: three naves separated by pointed brick arches. Part of the original Mudejar coffered ceiling can still be seen in the central nave.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception, to one side of the church, links the two structures that make up the building. It was founded in 1397 by the steward Juan Pérez, the city's senior clerk. The chapel was named after the clerks who formed their association there and celebrated several festivities in it every year.

It is a rectangular funerary chapel made from stone, set in a regular brickwork pattern, on which the stonemasons' marks are still visible. Light enters through a loophole window opening into the interior, and a small oculus with double flaring. This chapel is thought to date from between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and is one of the oldest examples of Cordovan art.

The building still retains most of its original structure, although it has undergone significant modifications over time.

The last major modification, to adapt the building for use as an archive, converted it into a space structured into three well-defined areas: a public area, an administration area, and a private area for archive storage, classification, and technical documentation management.

The current building is the work of architect Pedro Salmerón Escobar. It comprises two modules of different heights, divided lengthwise by a wide courtyard of lights, separating the freely accessible public zone from the restricted area. The archive itself occupies only part of the enormous complex and is surrounded by landscaped gardens and a spacious parking lot.

The archive boasts state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. It consists of a public area, including a consultation room and a conference room, separated by the courtyard from a staff-only area for the handling and managing of documents. The archive's storage spans over 18.5 miles of shelving, spread over four floors.

This archive is located in the historic city center, in a building constructed between 1895 and 1908 by the architects José Gallego y Díaz and José López. It was built on the site of the old corn exchange to house the courts of Seville and other municipal departments.

In the 1970s, the building was closed and left abandoned until 1982, when the renovation and remodeling works for the Provincial Historical Archive began. The project was designed by the architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz, and was completed in 1987.

The only feature of the original construction that has been preserved is the tower attached to the Casa de los Tiros Museum, which is effectively an independent structure.

At the base there is a linteled facade with molding, and Ionic pilasters with capitals. Above them is a full entablature and balcony framed by Corinthian pilasters. Plateresque plant-inspired decoration flanks the shaft. Above that is an opening decorated with molding, sharp points, and a large mask, followed by the tower with its triple arch.

The General Archive of Andalusia—temporarily housed until now in the offices of the Provincial Historical Archive of Seville—is to move into its permanent home in the “Pavilion of the Future," one of the most iconic buildings of the 1992 Universal Exhibition in Seville.

Its curved canopies, which give it a sense of movement, and its 118-foot high granite and metal arcades, have made it one of the most recognizable features of Seville's skyline.

At the time of its construction, it was seen as an example of a modern, forward-looking building, and of high-tech architectural engineering, firmly rooted in the purest architectural tradition.

Its 250,000 square feet houses the most up-to-date equipment, suitable for performing its legal responsibilities in its role as the intermediate and historic archive for the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.