Duke of Gor

By way of this marriage all the domains and possessions of the Valoria family, including the castle of Olmillos de Sasamón, province of Burgos, and all their fiefs were incorporated into the duchy of Gor.

His wife was the daughter of Jaime Giráldez Mendoza, and María de Cañas Portocarrero, and VI Countess of Lérida and VII Viscountess of Valoria.

"[4] Gor and Gorafe, the main towns of the Dukedom farming lands, are located within the province of Granada, and their castles have been labelled by the Junta de Andalucia ("Autonomous Andalusian Government" in Seville) as B.I.C.

The last Duke buried there was D. Mauricio Alvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Goyeneche, V Duke of Gor, who died in 1962); also, in this city of lush gardens where the murmur of clear water flowing from fountains is lost among the exotic colors of the water lilies in the pond bordered by myrtles, here they had the privilege of being the owners until recent times of the Queen's Garden, very famous among the people of Granada, with its palace of Nasrid architecture known by the name of Alcázar Genil or the palace of Abu Said, a National Monument from the 13th century.

[6] The Alcazar Genil in the Islamic era belonged to Boabdil's mother, listed among the assets sold by her to the Catholic Monarchs, later becoming the property of the Dukes of Gor.

The Alcazar was part of a large orchard that extended from the College of the Piarist Fathers to the last buildings of the current Jardín de la Reina Urbanization, that is, quite a few thousand square meters at a key point in the city.

Entering through the road of Armilla, at a very short distance, a leafy orchard called Jardín de la Reina (sic) appears, where there was an Islamic palace called Alcázar de Xenil, owned by the Moorish Queens, from whom it passed to the Catholic Monarchs, and its current owner, the Duke of Gor, preserves it with commendable appreciation.

[4] This Moorish building features a small room decorated with extraordinary sumptuousness and exquisite taste, undoubtedly in the times of Yusuf I of Granada.

[4] Among the ornamentation of the walls, some inscriptions stand out, of which the most important is written on two friezes that surround the room, with gallant cursive and kufic characters: "Glory to our lord the Sultan.- He whose words are beautiful and whose features of generosity are full of glory.- The fair and fearless king"; also, there is the "Only Allah is the victor" and the following one above the twin arches of the alcoves that open in the side walls: "Oh, my hope... seal my works with goodness.

"[4] At the top of the room, there are twenty arches through which light enters, and above them, the wide cornice of mocárabes stands out, supporting the lattice coffered ceiling.

A short distance in front of the tower, there is a colossal pond, which measures 121.40 meters by 28, at whose end, foundations and the underground part of an extensive nave still exist with its corresponding porch, from which they would enjoy the beautiful view of the pool full of water and the naval games that they say took place in it.

Don Pedro spent many years amassing an extensive literary collection, which included various Arabic codices, letters, manuscripts, and poetry from both Luis de Góngora and Francisco Quevedo.

The great-grandson of the library's founder, the II Duke of Gor, acquired the literary collection and established it in his house on Plaza de los Girones.

In 1962, the most valuable part of the library was sold by the then Duke of Gor to the bibliophile Don Bartolomé March Servera, who transported it to Madrid to incorporate it into his extensive archive.

"[10] This Palace was sold by Don Mauricio Alvarez de las Asturias Bohorques y Silva, VI Duke of Gor, to the Mercedarian congregation, who plan to expand their adjacent Educational College.

The mural paintings that adorn its spacious and airy rooms are still visible, especially the large hall on the upper floor and the coffered ceiling covering the space of the stately stairs.

The iron door that gives access to the courtyard-garden is a true work of forging: in the garden, there are airs of other times under the shade of the magnolia, pine, and orange trees.

Castle of Olmillos de Sasamón ( Province of Burgos ).
Province of Burgos, Spain
Interior of the central chamber, with floor fountain and arched entry to side chamber at the Alcázar Genil
Alcázar Genil, Granada