Casa de Pilatos

Lonely Planet review

The finest of Seville's noble mansions and still occupied by the ducal Medinaceli family, the Casa de Pilatos is a mixture of Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance architecture and decoration. With some beautiful tilework and artesonado ceilings, the overall effect is similar to that of the Alcázar.

There are rival explanations for the building's name, which means Pilate's House. One is that its 16th-century creator, Don Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera, was trying to imitate Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, to which city he had made a pilgrimage. Another is that the house served as the first station of a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) route, in which penitents symbolically retraced Christ's steps to the Crucifixion. The first station would represent Christ's appearance before Pilate.

A plan on your ticket helps you find your way round. From the Apeadero, a courtyard for boarding and alighting from carriages, you pass into the Patio Principal, which has lots of wonderful 16th-century tiles, intricate Mudejar plasterwork and a Renaissance fountain. The armless statue of Athene, on the far side from the entrance, is Greek, from around the 4th century BC; the statues in the other corners are Roman. Around the walls are busts of Roman historical and mythical figures, plus King Carlos I of Spain.

The names of the rooms off the Patio Principal recall the supposed Pontius Pilate connection. The Descanso de los Jueces (Judges' Retiring Room), Salón Pretorio (Palace Hall) and Gabinete de Pilatos (Pilate's Study) all have fine artesonado ceilings. Beyond the Salón Pretorio are the Zaquizami, a corridor with Roman sculptures and inscriptions on display, and the Jardín Chico (Small Garden). The Gabinete de Pilatos leads into the leafy Jardín Grande (Big Garden), with Italian-style loggias on three of its sides. The staircase leading from the Patio Principal to the upper floor has the most magnificent tiles in the building, and a great golden artesonado dome above.