Casa de las Conchas: The House of Shells

Casa de las Conchas, or the House of Shells, is a curious attraction in Salamanca, Spain. This stately mansion built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries has a façade covered with carvings of scallop shells, the symbol of the military Order of Santiago of which its first owner, Talavera Maldonado, was chancellor. Construction of the house began in 1493, but Maldonado didn’t live to see its completion. After his death, the house was completed by his son Rodrigo Arias Maldonado in 1517. Photo: Daniel Vine Photography/Shutterstock.com The most peculiar feature of the house is the façade, which is a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar elements, decorated with more than 300 shells, the symbol of the order of Santiago, as well as of the pilgrims performing the Way of St. James. In the façade are also the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs and four windows in Gothic style, each one having a different shape. The entrance portal has the coat of arms of the Maldonado family, while in the architrave are dolphins, a Renaissance symbol of love, and vegetable elements. The tower, which once stood majestically over the rest of the city, as a symbol of power of the nobleman was demolished to one-third its original height for precisely this reason. The house encloses a spacious courtyard in the middle. The balconies facing this courtyard are fitted with windowsills decorated with honeycomb and basketwork motifs—a clear example of Islamic influence. The roof is topped by a cresting formed by fleurs-de-lis accompanied by gargoyles. In the center of the courtyard is a well that, in its time, guaranteed the supply of drinking water. Photo: Alberto Novo/Shutterstock.com An enduring legend of Casa de las Conchas is that there is a gold coin (or an ounce of gold, according to some sources) hidden underneath each shell.