Úbeda - Palacio del Deán Ortega

During the Reconquista, in 1233, King Ferdinand III conquered Ubeda to the Kingdom of Castile. In 1368, the city was damaged during the Castilian Civil War between Peter I of Castile and Henry II of Castile. This, combined with other circumstances, caused the worsening of the rivalry between the nobel families de Trapera and de Aranda at first, and the families de la Cueva and de Molina after. This political instability was solved when the "Catholic Monarchs" ruled as they ordered the Alcázar, used by the nobility as a fortress, to be destroyed.
During the 16th century, these important Castilian aristocratic families from Úbeda reached top positions in the Spanish Monarchy administration. Notably, Francisco de los Cobos and Juan Vazquez de Molina became Secretaries of State for Emperor Charles V and Philip II respectively. Due to the patronage of arts of these competing families, Úbeda became a Renaissance focus in Spain.

Ubeda and neighboring Baeza benefited from this patronage resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces and churches, which have been preserved ever since. In 2003, UNESCO declared the historic centres and landmarks of these two towns a World Heritage Site.



The Palacio del Deán Ortega is located in the heart of Plaza Vázquez de Molina. The construction of this palace was commissioned by Fernando Ortega Salido, dean of the Cathedral of Málaga and first chaplain of the neighboring Sacra Capilla del Salvador. The construction dates back to the mid-16th century, in the middle of the Spanish Renaissance, and it is known that the paving of the ground floor was commissioned in 1550.

In 1929 it passed into the ownership of the Spanish state who while preserving its historic elements converted it into one of the first of the state-run hotels known as Paradores.