The Palace of Ábalos
The Palace of Abalos originates from the lineage of Ramírez of the Piscina, whose shields can be found on the principle façade, which is made completely of smoothed stone.
The Prince Don Ramiro de Navarra, founder of said lineage, was married to Doña Cristina Elvira, daughter of El Cid Campeador. The oldest son of both, Don García Ramírez, the Restorer, was crowned King of Navarra in 1134.
Don Ramiro participated, with other knight of Navarra, in the first Crusade, and along with Godofredo of Bouillon, entered Jerusalem with his army through the Pools of Bethesda.
In his testament, he order the construction of a temple for his second son, Don Sancho Ramírez, Sir of the Peñacerrada, with a dedication to the Virgin of la Piscina (Pool), and ordered that the Vera Cruz (True Cross) that he had brought back with him from Jerusalem be stored within it. This basilica, perfectly restored, is located half a mile from Ábalos. Don Sancho named himself Ramírez of the Piscina, and his descendants continue this tradition.
Furthermore, he ordered the creation of the Divisa Solar and the Royal House of la Piscina, which included an organization of various chapters and finite codes and whose last patrons have been linked to the Palace of Ábalos.
One of them, Don Francisco Antonio Ramírez of la Piscina, Archdeacon, Captain during the Crusades and Vicar-General of Archbishopric of Toledo, finished the various works in the amplification and betterment of the primitive building around the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century. Such improvements include the creation of a geometric, boxwood garden, which is still conserved today. The most striking of these modifications was the construction of three towers, two of which on the façade oriented toward midday. Three galleries with superimposed porticos are supported by these towers, which were inspired by the “logias” style of the Italian Renaissance. At the foot of this façade, lie the aforementioned gardens, which complete this monument with noteworthy originality.
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