Úbeda - Palacio Vázquez de Molina

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 Vázquez de Molina (aka "Palacio de las Cadenas") currently forms the seat of the City Hall.

Juan Vázquez de Molina, Secretary of State to Philip II of Spain, ordered the building to become his private residence. Work on the castle took place between 1546 and 1565.

After his death, the building became a convent of Dominican nuns ("Las Caldenas". In 1873, after the confiscation, it became the municipal consistory.

In January 2023, the building was hidden behind scaffolding