Real Chancillería

Don't be put off by the armed guards and the metal detector at the door; you can still enter freely and marvel at the elegant interior courtyard, designed by Diego de Siloé. The security is tight because this is a High Court. It was built at the same time as Plaza Nueva, in which it stands, during the 1530s. The austere Renaissance façade suited its purpose as a prison and house of justice. The inner courtyard has two galleries: the lower one is surrounded by half-barrel arches supported by marble Doric columns and the upper one has a stone balustrade and cornice decorated by carved stone leaves. There is a dungeon under the main staircase where the executioner used to await the court's decisions. Admission: free