Visit the Casa de Pilatos in Seville, a beautiful Mudejar palace

Visit Casa de Pilatos

Tha Casa de Pilatos in Seville is a lovely palace built in the 16th century and is an attractive mix of Mudejar, Renaissance and Italian architecture.

Explore the Casa de Pilatos

The palace was originally known as the Palacio de San Andres and construction was started by Pedro Enriques de Quinones. It was completed by his son Fadrique Enriques de Rivera who did a pilgrimage to the Holy Land at about the time of construction.

On his return he initiated the celebration of the Holy Way of the Cross in Seville. The route ran 1321 steps to copy the 1321 steps taken by Pontius Pilate to get from his encampment to Calvary (where Jesus was crucified). Because of this Fadrique's palace became known as the 'Casa de Pilatos'.

The main gate into the palace is a Renaissance gate with a Gothic crest. This leads through to the courtyard with a fountain. In the courtyard and lower galleries are 24 busts of Roman emperors, Spanish kings and other notable figures taken from the ruins of nearby Italica.

The courtyard leads to two pretty gardens the larger of which is surrounded by arched walkways offering welcome shade on a hot day. The gardens are laid out in a formal style with parterres of clipped box interspersed with small box balls and orange trees clipped into half spheres. Pink roses and a selection of flowers add colour and interest throughout the seasons.

Also to see is a small chapel which is interesting in design as it is decorated throughout with beautiful tiles more often seen in Mosques than chapels.

The upstairs can be visited too for a small extra charge. Notice in particular the staircase - this was the first private house in Seville to have one! Look at the ceiling above the stairs as this is a beautiful Mudejar honeycomb style ceiling. Paintings from the 16-19th centuries decorate the upstairs rooms including a small sequence of a bullfight by Francisco Goya.

The Casa de Pilates is one of the best examples of 16th century Andalusian architecture in Seville and is considered to be the prototype of typical Andalusian palaces.

The palace has been used as a location for two Hollywood films - Lawrence of Arabia with Peter O'Toole and Night and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

The Casa de Pilatos is open every day and costs 6 euros for the groundfloor and 8 euros for both floors. If you visit on a Wednesday afternoon after 15.00 entrance is free to EU citizens (ID required).

Places to Visit Nearby

Fans of Mudejar architecture and Moorish gardens will want to visit the Real Alcazar of Seville and other historic and interesting monuments in Seville include the cathedral and Giralda tower, the bullring and the Metropol Parosol. The Santa Cruz area of Seville is a wonderful warren of narrow lanes full of restaurants and great tapas bars.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Seville guide and the Andalucia guide.

Photos of Casa de Pilatos

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Map of Casa de Pilatos and places to visit

Casa de Pilatos places to visit

Metropol Parasol

The Seville Metropol is an amazing modern structure in the heart of Seville. Not only great looking but you can walk on the top of it and get some great views.

Metropol Parasol guide

Seville - Giralda

The Giralda tower is Seville's iconic bell tower with great views from the top. It is a huge ramp to the top rather than steps and so relatively easy to climb.

Seville - Giralda guide