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Palacio de Meres
Asturias, Spain
Labelled as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Monument Category, Palacio de Meres is open for private family events, business events and cultural events including film shootings.“The world’s most universal and graphic palace where I filmed four of my movies” JOSÉ LUIS GARCI
History
The first known settlement in Meres was a circular defence tower (XIII-VIV cent) which was destroyed under the orders of the Catholic Monarchs. Currently only its remains in the rear part are visible today.The first construction of Palacio de Meres dates from the first half of the 15th century, but it was not until the end of the 16th century that it was refurbished and expanded. Pedro Argüelles, ‘El Negro’, was the first Lord of the House of Meres.In connection with this position, he received a letter from the Emperor Charles I of Spain/Charles V HRE to alert him of possible invaders from the coast.
The palace belongs to the sons and grandchildren of Mrs. Laína Uría Ríu and Mr.Joaquín Cores Masaveu, direct descendants of the family. Laina González Cores, manager of Palacio de Meres, is today,in charge of the estate. The family business is run by the fifteenth and sixteenth generation, whose objective is the maintenance and enrichment of the heritage of our ancestors.
Chapel of Santa Ana
The Chapel of Santa Ana is of particular note. In the 15th century a hermitage was dedicated to Santa Ana of which only the main sculpture remains and is currently located in the upper part of the central altarpiece. A century later, in 1585, Pedro Argüelles Carrio or “El Mozo” expanded the family estate and transformed the old hermitage. Ecclesiastical authorisation to celebrate religious acts on festive days in the new building was given. In the 17th century under the order of Antonio Argüelles Valdés, Marquis of the Paranza the chapel was extended and in 1707 the abbot of Arbás, brother of the Marquis, blessed the new temple, dedicated to Our Lady of Amparo – her sculpture is located inside the central niche. Since then, the Palace holds a festival on August 15 each year, which is a great excuse for the family and town to get together.
Weddings
The Palacio de Meres is the ideal location for your fairytale wedding offering a unique venue including the beautiful chape. Several of the renovated historical locations can be rented and staff are there to help for a well-organized celebration.
Michelin star chefs
The Palacio often invites Michelin star chef to cook here. Chefs include: Isaac Loya, Nacho Manzano, Marcos Morán.
Filming
The Palace of Meres has become a place of pilgrimage for renowned movie directors from across the world. Its church, forest, gardens and property fit perfectly into the locations required for television and movie scripts. Movies, adverts, documentaries, television series, and videos have been filmed in the Palace.
Nature
At the entrance guests will find one of the most well-kept groves of English Oak trees in the centre of Asturias. Its botanical and faunal values greatly enrich the house’s surroundings and offer an important environmental value. Other varieties on the six hectare estate include
birch, yew, boxwood, beech, northern red oak, German oak and corn-oak.
This environment is the perfect habitat for a vast number of vertebrates, mammals, molluscs and other animal species that live in freedom in the forest, the most prominent of these being birds, of which there are more than fifty listed species. The estate boasts a large population of the robin redbreast, blue tit, common chaffinch, as well as birds of prey such as the sparrow hawk, kestrel, buzzard and night owls: barn owl, tawny owl and little owl. There is also lesser-spotted woodpecker, hawfinch and the brambling.
Palace Artifacts
The Palace has an extensive furniture collection, most of which have been completely restored.. Complete sets of chairs, cabinets, chests of drawers, and large popular style chests; those carved by the Asturian painter José Uría y Uría are the most noteworthy. Among the numerous paintings hanging in the Palace are: Portraits of the Bishop of Oviedo, Juan de Llano Ponte, Saint Nicholas of Bari Anonymous, Antonio Argüelles Valdés, Marquis of La Paranza, Eduard Ríu Cercós. In the dining room of the house there are numerous objects made of ceramic and porcelain, complete sets of Limoges porcelain, Asturian ceramics and countless pieces of silverware.
In the front garden beside the pond there is a Tarshish Grave Stele dating from the 9th century. BC, presumably transported from Extremadura more than a century ago.
The House of Meres had multi-generational family Historic Archives that were entrusted to the Library of the University of Oviedo in 1990.
Nearby Oviedo
Oviedo is known for its beauty, cultural heritage and food. Take a walk around the Old Town, where the Cathedral, the Holy Chamber, some churches and monasteries such as Las Pelayas, and museums, including the Fine Arts Museum and the Archaeological Museum, are worth visiting. Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias have been declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
For some delicious tapas, the “Cider Boulevard” is the place to be. It is on the Calle Gascona, a street lined with restaurants and cider taverns. The Calle Uría forms the heart of the shopping district. Nearby, lies the San Francisco Park.
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