It’s one of those things we think we already understand, because we’ve heard about it most of our lives. At times, we tease our friends with big houses to invite us to their “mansion.” But what really is a mansion?
Mansions in modern-day pertain to houses usually 460 square meters and above, with luxurious components. But did you know that mansions used to be a kind of fortified house during the Middle Ages?
The word mansion comes from the Latin word “mansio” or dwelling or “manor” which means to remain. In ancient Rome, dwellings had to be fortified and some would be built on a hill, thus, the rise of huge mansions which are called a palace.
A mansion can also refer to blocks and flats of apartments that are luxurious in nature for the British. The Japanese also use the mansho or mansion to refer to a condominium.
During the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, mansions used to be at the center of the estate or the hacienda or the grand rural estate. That is why you see heritage houses near Churches and central parks of a town. These houses usually have European architectural styles but some of our very own mansions have derived into a “Bahay na Bato” archetype.
References:
“The grand Beaux-Arts style now even clearer in Iloilo’s Lizares mansion” retrieved August 29, 2020. https://bluprint.onemega.com/lizares-mansion-angelicum-school-iloilo/
“Mansion”. retrieved August 29, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansion
Image reference: Lizares Mansion-Iloilo Philippines