We like to recommend that when visiting a new city, always start with the place that most intrigues you or that you have always wanted to visit. In our case, when we arrived at Guadalajara Station, we headed to the Pantheon of the Countess of Vega del Pozo and Duchess of Sevillano, an impressive monument built between 1882 and 1916 in this Spanish city. This magnificent pantheon was commissioned by Doña María Diega Desmaissières y Sevillano, Countess of Vega del Pozo and Duchess of Sevillano, in honor of her father and deceased relatives, who would find their eternal resting place here. The pantheon is part of the monumental complex of the foundation of San Diego de Alcalá.
The Duchess, around 1881, commissioned Ricardo Velázquez Bosco to build an extensive complex of buildings for charitable establishments and a family pantheon, located southwest of the city, next to the current San Roque Park. Thanks to the outstanding philanthropic work of this noblewoman, Guadalajara has one of the most impressive architectural ensembles of the late 19th century. The Countess of Vega del Pozo and Duchess of Sevillano dedicated her entire life to helping others and, therefore, left no direct descendants. It was the Sisters Adorers, a congregation founded by her aunt Santa María Micaela del Santísimo Sacramento, who assumed responsibility for the pantheon and other buildings in the complex.
The pantheon, whose dome is covered with shiny metallic reflective tiles that evoke the shape of scales, is visible in the distance and reflects the influence of northern Italian art, fusing elements that give it a very distinctive Byzantine style. This impressive dome is the work of ceramist Daniel Zuloaga, a member of an illustrious family of artists that includes his nephew, painter Ignacio Zuloaga. This work took him thirteen years to complete, from 1893 to 1906.
The structure has a Greek cross plan, is distributed on two levels and reaches approximately forty meters in height, or approximately 131 feet. Although it is not allowed to take photographs inside, we can describe it as a space of extraordinary beauty, full of artistic details that stand out both for the richness of the materials and the perfection of its finishes. Its style is predominantly eclectic historicist, characteristic of the late nineteenth century, which translates into a fusion of various styles: thus, the facades exhibit a neo-Romanesque-Lombard, while the interior is adorned with Byzantine mosaics and capitals of Mudejar aesthetics. Upon entering, the altar, crowned by an exceptional Calvary painted by Alejandro Ferrán, captures the attention. In the crypt, one marvels at the imposing sculptural ensemble by Ángel García Díez, which represents the funeral procession of the duchess. It is, without a doubt, an absolutely magnificent experience.
