The Casa de los Alburquerques in Lorca

The 16th century noble residence is now home to the municipal archive of Lorca

The Casa de los Alburquerque is one of the many noble houses and palatial residences in Lorca which led to it being nicknamed the “Ciudad de los Cien Escudos”, or the city of 100 coats of arms.

It is located in Calle Selgas, the street which leads through the archway under the Casa Consistorial (or Town Hall) into the Plaza de España, and was built in the 16^th and 17^th centuries by the Alburquerque family, who arrived in Lorca in the 15^th century and were related to the royal family of Portugal. The highlights of the façade are the simply decorated columns, and in this case the coat of arms (which shows garlands of flowers and fruit) was added in the second half of the 19^th century, as part of reform work which began in 1854.

It was also during this remodeling that the panels above the first-floor windows were added, as was the wrought ironwork on the windows and balconies.

At the eastern end of the façade is a niche dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Montserrat.

The Casa de los Alburquerques is now home to the municipal archive of Lorca, which contains over 8 million documents dating from the 13th century to the present day.

Address: Calle Selgas, nº8, 30800 Lorca

Telephone (municipal archive): 968 466986

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