THE COUNTRY ESTATES

“El pazo”, or “Country Estate” from the Latin “paladium”, was the large estate of a noble family located in the countryside. The origin of this type of estate is in the changing nature of the lives of noblemen at the start of the modern age, with more stability and social control they could abandon their fortresses. Their splendour was in the baroque era.

In their Typology are many diverse influences, from defensive architecture and medieval palaces to the architecture of Roman villas and fields, renaissance villas and Portuguese mansions. Towers with battlements and walls ending with merlons are also features. The tower now has the function of keeping watch over the fields. Some of these country estates were erected where there was previously a medieval fort.

The estate has a link with the land that surrounds it. It was not only a residence, it was an agricultural endeavour. They are always surrounded by fields and there’s a link with the inhabitants of the area. They depend on the estate; they work its fields and pay their rents there. The home attached to the estate is surrounded by a high wall. Inside of this wall it is customary to have a chapel, a raised granary to store corn, a pigeon loft and other dependencies related to the agricultural work in the fields. In the immediate area around the estate, there is a garden with a variety of plants. Other elements in these estates are their coats of arms, large chimneys or the exterior chimneys.