The marquisate of Lacadena is the only hereditary noble title in the Jacetania area and was awarded by the queen regent Maria Cristina at the end of the 19th century (1890). The Lacadena family, originally from Jaca and Borau, moved from Jaca to Berdún in the 17th century and own properties in villages the length and breadth of Old Aragon, including Jaca, Martes, Asso Veral, Santa Cilia and Berdún. Among these properties we have chosen to describe three small palaces or ancestral homes.

Santa Cilia
The ancient palace of the monks of San Juan de la Peña is contiguous with the church. It is a collection of several buildings of medieval origin and was the see of the Priory of Santa Cilia and occasionally of the monastery itself after its destruction in the War of Independence. It also served as a summer residence for the monks. The main house is crowned by an enormous, conical inglenook chimney. The main façade has a large archway and a Gothic mullioned window and also bears the coat of arms of the monastery. After the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizabal, the palace was acquired by the Marquis of Lacadena and is still owned by his descendants.

Berdún
The magnificent ancestral home on the main square in Berdún dates from 1736. It is here that the second Marquis of Lacadena, who ordered the construction of the palace in Jaca on the square that bears his name, was born in 1845. This impressive small palace in Berdún, with columns on the corners and a large coat of arms above the main doorway, is a rare example of 18th-century noble architecture in the Jacetania area.

Jaca
Located in the very heart of the city, the residence of the Marquis of Lacadena (number 2 of the square that honours this illustrious noble title) together with the old prison tower, give this quiet corner of Jaca a picturesque air.

This noble home was refurbished at the beginning of the 20th century and its main façade is an unusual mixture of tradition and renovation. A modernist decoration was superimposed on the tradition local building following the fashion for floral motifs of the time, although in this case expressed more modestly than in the Catalan Region. The floral adornments, made by means of molds, depict luscious petals and can be seen not only along the edge of the roof decorating the front of the supporting corbels, but also on the fascias that separate the different levels of the building, the frames of doors and windows and the brackets under the balconies.

This magnificent home is an accurate reflection of a moment, at the beginning of the 20th century, when the new language of Modernism and a spirit of renewal in decoration arose as a new movement. Its excellent state of conservation and delicate façade, combined with its traditional structure and interior decoration must make it one of the most interesting buildings in Jaca.

Maria Pilar Poblador Muga. Historian