In the Pilate square, we find the Palace of the same name. Its construction began in 1483 on the initiative of Pedro Enríquez de Quinones, IV Military Governor of Andalusia, and Catalina de Rivera, his second wife, founders of the House of Alcalá. His son Fadrique Enríquez and his grandson Per Afán de Ribera expanded and completed the decoration.

The building base houses a marketplace and numerous restaurants. On the ground floor is located the “Antiquarium” Archaeological Museum, which shows the Roman and Arab remains found during its construction. The “mushrooms” are crowned with a terrace and a viewpoint with fantastic views of the old town. At night, the lighting makes the monument even more spectacular.

Fadrique Enríquez made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem between the years 1518 and 1520. He crossed all Italy and was impressed by the Renaissance art he found in its cities. Upon his return he combined the Mudejar and Renaissance styles in various extensions that he made in the palace. Per Afán de Ribera nephew and heir of Fadrique, also made important extensions, and during his stay as Viceroy of Naples acquired a vast collection of art and furniture that moved to the Palace.

The name comes from an old belief that a viacrucis (stations of the cross of Christ) that left the Palace and reached the Shrine of La Cruz del Campo had the same distance Jesus travelled from the House of Pontius Pilate to Calvary to be crucified. The galleries of its patios and its historic rooms or the gorgeous gardens are five centuries of history to enjoy.