Palacio Piria, Supreme Court building in Plaza de Cagancha, Montevideo, Uruguay

Palacio Piria is the seat of Uruguay's Supreme Court, on the south side of Plaza de Cagancha in Montevideo. French architect Camille Gardelle gave the 1917 building an eclectic historicist style mixing neoclassical, Renaissance and modern elements. An oval motif recurs in the ground-floor hall, the basement and the upper levels. Small gardens line the Human Rights Passage, and the Monument to Justice by Rafael Lorente Mourelle stands before the main facade.

French architect Camille Gardelle designed this palace in 1917 as a private residence for businessman Francisco Piria. The building remained his family home until 1933 and was later transformed into the country's highest court.

The name honours Francisco Piria, the businessman and philanthropist who commissioned the house in 1917. The building carries an esoteric connotation tied to the symbolic beliefs attributed to him: an oval motif recurs in the ground-floor hall, in the basement and in the distribution spaces of the two upper floors, alongside other repeated ornamental figures. On Heritage Day the palace opens its doors to the public.

The building faces the Plaza de Cagancha on the Pasaje de los Derechos Humanos, with the Monument to Justice by Rafael Lorente Mourelle in front of the main entrance. It is a working court, so access is normally limited; the palace opens its doors to the public once a year on Heritage Day.

The oval motif in the ground-floor hall recurs in the basement and in the distribution spaces of the two upper floors, part of the symbolic, esoteric programme attributed to Francisco Piria. The palace opens to the public once a year, on Heritage Day.