Palacio de los Marqueses de Villadarias, 18th-century palace in Antequera, Spain

The Palacio de los Marqueses de Villadarias has a three-story facade with six window bays. Its portal combines four Tuscan columns on plinths with a broad balcony and a curved pediment decorated with volutes and pyramids. Inside, a square courtyard has brick arches on twelve Tuscan columns of stone from El Torcal, and a monumental staircase with an elliptical vault on pendentives leads to the upper galleries.

Construction began in 1710, when Francisco del Castillo y Fajardo, second Marquis of Villadarias, settled in Antequera. By 1716 permission was sought from the municipal council to build the facade, which would encroach on part of the roadway, so the palace was presumably finished by then. Since 22 July 1987 it has had proceedings opened for declaration as a Bien de Interés Cultural, in the monument category.

The stone cylinders and chains decorating the doorway were placed there to recall the 1730 visit of Philip V and Elisabeth Farnese, who stayed in the palace as guests of the widowed Marchioness of Villadarias during their time in Antequera.

The palace remains closed to public visits, but you can view the exterior from Calle Lucena in central Antequera. Walking along this central street gives you a clear view of the impressive facade.

The square courtyard rests on twelve Tuscan columns of stone from El Torcal, carrying brick arches on the ground floor. The main-floor galleries were altered in the 19th century, and the monumental staircase rises in a rectangular well covered by an elliptical vault on pendentives decorated with plasterwork.