The minor Seminar building called “Virgen de Belén” in Pilas was designed in the year 1957 by the prestigious architect  Fernando Barquín y Barón, and it became an important building at that time.

It began as a seminar during the academic year 1960/61, even though it had already been used in 1961 when the construction works had already began a year earlier.

It was officially innagurated on the 3rd May 1961. It was solemnly blessed by the Cardenal Bueno Monreal and even the president of the State, Mr. Francisco Franco, some ministers like the Governance and Justice ministers, and the General Secretary of Transport, together with many important people from the Church , Military and Civil life assisted this important event.

We can deduce that the event counted on extreme security measures and it created great excitement at the time:

Vídeo perteneciente al archivo histórico del NO-DO, de RTVE. Ver vídeo "Franco en Andalucía", a partir del minuto 7'25''

The singularity of the building meant that in the year 1963 it was chosen as the location for shooting the film “Happy Youth" (1963), directed and starred in by Mariano Ozores, and also some other important Spanish actors of the time like Emma Penella, Adolfo Marsillach and José Luis Ozores.

The seminar was made up of a central patio, meeting room, a chapel dedicated to Virgin of Belén (Also the patron saint of Pilas), dinning room, sports facilities and common area, study rooms and two other pavillions for seminarists´ bedrooms and bathrooms.

For the 50th anniversary of the building the Cultural Department of the town council in Pilas made a video which can be seen HERE .

Nowadays High School “Torre del Rey” uses two pavillions, one of them with the former classrooms and the other one where the seminarists´ bedrooms were.

(Picture of the pavillions, where the High School is today. The picture has been taken from the webpage www.seminariodepilas.es)

In 1996 a new wing (only its upper floor) was added to the former High School , where six classes where built, closing the previous “U” shape into its current square form:

Picture of the wing added to the former building

The rest of the building has been used as a residence mainly for religious groups, etc. Nowadays it is used by the "Lantana Garden Association".

For the last number of years this building has been chosen as a rehearsal area by the prestigious pianist and conductor Mr. Daniel Barenboim and his musicians to be used during the summer. The Project, the West-East Divan Orchestra, is a project created by him and the philosopher Edward Said and they gathered here with young musicians from Israeli of Arabian or Palestinian origin to peace and cultural learning among them.

Daniel Barenboin´s rehearsal with the West-East Divan Orchestra, in the meeting room at the Minor Seminar in Pilas ( Summer 2005)

You can find more information about the minor Seminar in the website http://www.seminariomenordepilas.es/