A whole façade in painted tile: Minerva and Mercury, wisdom and trade, glazed across a Cartagena house.
At a glance
Casa Llagostera, on the Calle Mayor of Cartagena, is among the most colourful of the city’s Modernista buildings. Víctor Beltrí signed the project in 1913 and finished it in 1916, giving ceramic a leading role: the façade is covered in vivid painted tiles by Gaspar Polo, showing the mythological figures of Minerva and Mercury, symbols of wisdom and commerce.
Key facts
- Location: Calle Mayor 23, Cartagena
- Architect: Víctor Beltrí
- Built: 1913–1916
- Style: Spanish Modernismo (Art Nouveau)
- Feature: painted ceramic façade (Minerva and Mercury) by Gaspar Polo
History
By the 1910s Beltrí had filled Cartagena with Modernista buildings, and in the Casa Llagostera he pushed his love of ceramic furthest. He had the painter Gaspar Polo create tiles for the whole front.
Signed in 1913 and completed in 1916, the house turned its façade into a billboard of myth: Minerva for wisdom, Mercury for trade, fitting a merchant city. It is a highlight of the Calle Mayor.
What you see
The front is a sheet of painted ceramic in vibrant colour, the figures of Minerva and Mercury presiding over the windows, framed by ironwork balconies. Where Casa Cervantes works in carved stone, Llagostera works in glazed tile, the two faces of Beltrí’s Modernismo on the same street.
Practical information
- Open: private building; exterior viewable any time
- Cost: free to view from the street
- Best for: the painted ceramic façade
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes
Getting there
The house is on the Calle Mayor in central Cartagena, a few steps from Casa Cervantes and a short walk from the port.
Nearby
- Casa Cervantes — Beltrí’s carved-stone house on the same street
- Gran Hotel — another of Cartagena’s Modernista landmarks
Sources
- Wikipedia (Spanish) — Casa Llagostera
- Ayuntamiento de Cartagena / Región de Murcia Digital — building information
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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