Description

A prestigious family from the town of Lorca (Murcia), linked by marriage to other prominent families such as the Guevaras, the Ponce de Leon, and the Rojas.

Particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries, they held properties, and noble and ecclesiastical titles. They made a significant contribution to the artistic enrichment of the city of Lorca. 

Notable figures in the family tree include Ginés Pérez de Meca, Provisional Canon, Vicar General and Governor of the Bishopric of Cartagena; and, in particular, his nephews, the Honourable Dr Ginés Pérez de Meca y Ponce de León, canon of the Collegiate Church of San Patricio, Provisor General, Apostolic Judge, Sub-delegate of the Tribunal of the Holy Crusade and President-Governor of the Royal Treasury, by royal appointment in 1687; and his brother Antonio Pérez de Meca y Ponce de León, Knight of the Order of Santiago, who in 1664 appears as a permanent councillor of Lorca, Provincial Mayor of the Holy Brotherhood and member of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, Commissioner of Public Works. The latter was the father of Antonio Félix Pérez de Meca y Ponce de León y Guevara, who was granted patronage of the Franciscan convent of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in Lorca. 

The palace, built by the Pérez de Meca family in the 17th century, has been known since the 19th century as the Palace of the Counts of San Julián, following their being granted that title. 

Bibliography

• P. Segado Bravo (1992): "Patronazgo de la familia Pérez de Meca en los siglos XVII-XVIII. El convento de San Diego de Lorca", en Patronos, promotores, mecenas y clientes: VII CEHA. Actas, mesa I. Murcia, 1988, Murcia, pp. 413-420.