Historic Hotel
Questionnaire
Year erected: 1777
What is the history of the property?
In the 18th century there were various causes for the abandonment of children. Economic needs, illegitimate children, food shortages and the impossibility of caring for the children made the work of the hospices and children's homes essential.
With the construction of the Hospicio y Hospital Real de Huérfanos, Expósitos y Desamparados de Oviedo, the Regent Isidoro Gil de Jaz began a policy of reforms in Asturias aimed at curing the ills of an ailing society. Its construction took up most of the second half of the 18th century, and it functioned until 1965, when it was closed by the Provincial Council.
In the following years, the building suffered a prolonged period of abandonment during which various uses were proposed, including that of a large cultural centre. This period culminated with the installation of the Hotel de la Reconquista in 1973, after having undergone extensive renovations that began in 1958.
In his Hospice and Royal Hospital project, the architect Pedro Antonio Menéndez proposed a design based on a large central courtyard at the back of which a chapel would be located. Menéndez laid out two square courtyards on either side of the chapel, and a Baroque façade presided over by a large coat of arms of Spain.
The architect Manuel Reguera also took part in the development of the works and was in charge of supervising them. The building was continued in 1768 with the construction of the chapel designed by Ventura Rodríguez.
Currently managed by the Eurostars Hotel Company chain under the name Eurostars Hotel de La Reconquista 5*, the former Hospice is a historical monument declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1973. Inside it has several works of art, such as three murals by Joaquín Vaquero Palacios, paintings by Mariano Moré, Adolfo Bartolomé and José Purón Sotres; as well as a banner of Carlos III and a sculpture of San Roque Peregrino.
In addition to its artistic value, it has a close relationship with the Royal Family, and since 1980 it has been the venue for the Princess of Asturias Award jury meetings and decisions.
What was the era and/or the architectural style in which the property was built?
The Asturian Hospice is one of the most important buildings in the region, not only for its architectural value, but also for its extension of almost 15,000 square metres. Its various interior courtyards are reminiscent of the layout of other similar buildings, such as the former royal hospitals of Santiago de Compostela and Granada.
Its layout also resembles the hospital model that emerged in the middle of the century with the Hospital de Afuera in Toledo, the work of Alonso de Covarrubias, and the Hospital de Santiago in Úbeda, designed by Andrés de Vandelvira, both of which have their churches behind a large courtyard. Pedro Antonio Menéndez took as his model the traditional layout of Spanish hospitals, although with structural and decorative elements of local use, which became more evident in the façade.
Is the property surrounded by other historic buildings?
Located in the heart of Oviedo, next to the Parque San Francisco and just a few minutes from the Campoamor Theatre, the Eurostars Hotel de la Reconquista 5* is found at the point where the historic quarter and the financial district meet.
Has restoration work taken place?
After the end of the spanish Civil War, life was resumed in the Royal Hospice, which had been damaged by the siege and war siege of Oviedo. In 1942, the Provincial Council of Oviedo decided to restore the building.
Are there any elements of particular historical importance at the building?
The bust of Isabel II, by Francisco Elías Vallejo, made of cast iron in the Trubia arms factory in 1846, is preserved from the old Hospice. It is located in a corridor of the Patio de la Reina, next to some curious rustic benches with carved and polychrome pieces on the back that come from Portugal and were used as halters to harness the oxen. In the same area, as guardians of the Chapel, there are two lamps with Baroque stipe columns from an 18th-century altarpiece. Corbels and baroque chests from different periods complete the furnishings.
In the Gil de Jaz Room, a Solomonic column belonging to an 18th century altarpiece and the work of Francisco Camilo, from the Baroque school of Madrid, from the Monastery of San Juan Bautista in Corias, known as the "Asturian Escorial", stand out.
One of the two "Grand Father" clocks made by James Condolif in Liverpool in the 19th century is located in the lobby of the hotel's interior bar. The other is located on the first floor of the bedrooms.
The hotel also has a large collection of engravings with Asturian themes in the corridors of the bedrooms and inside them. Among them is the work entitled Sibila de cumas - in suite 103 - a magnificent copy of a work by Doménico Zampieri from the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. The original is in the Borghese Gallery in Rome.
Special mention should be made of the Adoration of the Shepherds -in the Royal Suite-, a fine 17th-century copy made by engraving a work by Rubens, painted in 1621, which is kept in the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen (France). This Adoration is a companion piece to the Adoration of the Kings, located in the Council Chamber of the Royal Suite, also a copy by Rubens. In the antechamber of this Suite is a portrait of King Philip IV, an anonymous Velázquez copy from the mid-17th century.
Are there any important guests or previous owners worth mentioning?
The Hotel de La Reconquista has hosted the most distinguished personalities from all international fields, as well as being the venue for the most important cultural, political and social events of the Principality of Asturias. Some of them are Nelson Mandela, Gabriel García Márquez and Pelé.
Are there any significant events that took place at the property in the past?
Created in 1980, the Princess of Asturias Foundation is a non-profit institution that contributes to the promotion of scientific, cultural and humanistic values, and to consolidate the link between the Principality of Asturias and the title traditionally held by the heirs to the Spanish Crown.
The driving force behind its foundation was the journalist Graciano García. On 24 September 1980, the constitutional charter was signed in the Covadonga Hall of the Hotel de la Reconquista, in a ceremony presided over by the then Prince of Asturias, in the presence of the King and Queen of Spain.
H.M. King Felipe VI was Honorary President of the Foundation until his proclamation as King of Spain on 19 June 2014. Since then, HRH Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, Princess of Asturias, has held the Honorary Presidency of this institution, which holds the annual Princess of Asturias Awards.
Has the property received any certifications for its historical status?
Eurostars Hotel de La Reconquista 5* is a historical monument declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1973.
Would you describe your property as (or has it ever been in the past) a: Hospice
