Casa de Pilatos

Welcome to the Plaza de Pilatos, where you stand before the grandest private residence in Seville. This palace, officially known as the Royal Ducal House of Medinaceli, is much more than a noble mansion; it is a bridge between the medieval and the modern worlds. As you look at the entrance, think back to the year fifteen hundred and nineteen. The Marquis of Tarifa, Fadrique Enríquez de Rivera, returned from a long pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Legend has it that he discovered the distance from his front door to a cross outside the city walls, known as the Cruz del Campo, was exactly the same distance as the journey from the house of Pontius Pilate to the site of the crucifixion. Because of this striking coincidence, the local people began to call this magnificent home the House of Pilate, a name that has stuck for over five centuries. Today, it remains the permanent seat of one of Spain’s most storied noble families, the Medinaceli dynasty. Take a moment to breathe in the history of this space before we step inside through the Renaissance gate into the heart of the palace.