Villa Magdalena, Oviedo

Villa María Magdalena, is an elegant early 20th-century mansion, built in 1902 by the city’s municipal architect Juan Miguel de la Guardia. Commissioned by wealthy merchant Victoriano G. Campomanes, the palace blends French-inspired eclecticism with a romantic layout of towers, terraces, and a greenhouse.

The building earned its present name from its final private resident, María Magdalena Argüelles Álvarez‑Campa, wife of industrialist Alfredo Figaredo Herrero. Initially dubbed “Villa Julia,” the property changed hands during World War I and ultimately passed into Figaredo’s possession after his predecessor’s ruin. The name “Villa Magdalena” honors the woman who lived there until her death in 1988, and it has since become one of Oviedo’s most recognizable civic landmarks.

Following municipal expropriation in the 1990s, the palacate underwent careful restoration and reopened in 1999 as the Villa Magdalena Municipal Library, serving the public alongside cultural programming and study areas. Adjacent gardens were transformed into a public park, allowing visitors to appreciate the building’s graceful proportions and landscaped setting. It also houses the local office of the Princess of Asturias Foundation since 2015.