The Palace of San Telmo began its construction in 1682. The land was property of the Court of the Inquisition, and a palace was installed. the headquarters of the College-Seminar of the University of Mercaderes, an institution that welcomed and trained sailors' orphans. It was also a palace and currently houses the Presidency of the Junta de Andalucía.
In 1849 the Dukes of Montpensier, Antonio de Orleans and Luisa Fernanda de Borbón turned it into their residence. They organize events and celebrations supporting the various Corporations and Brotherhoods, they protect writers and artists as patrons and turn the Palace into the center of the social life of Seville. The building undergoes several renovations and one of them is that of the side façade of the Apeadero, on which a gallery of statues of illustrious Sevillian figures by the sculptor Antonio Susillo is added. When the duchess dies, she bequeaths the palace to the Archdiocese of Seville and cedes its gardens, which today form the Maria Luisa Park.
The palace has a rectangular plan with several interior patios, one of them central, towers at the four corners, a chapel and gardens. The main façade dates back to 1754, It is one of the most famous of Baroque-Churrigueresque architecture, adorned with reliefs and sculptures, highlighting that of San Telmo, flanked by the two patron saints of Seville: San Fernando and San Hermenegildo. The female figures represent the virtues and holding the main balcony, a group of Indians with feather headdresses, which allude to the link between the sailors of Seville and America.
We must highlight the Palace Chapel, a jewel of Andalusian and Spanish art, with a single nave, with a barrel vault and altarpieces, the main one dedicated to the Virgin of Buen Aire from the 17th century. There are numerous images from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, a good part of them the work of Pedro Duque Cornejo.