Defender's Dynasty: A 16th-century Palazzo adorned with a Vulcanic stone

Built in 1531 by Suero de Águila as a fortified manor house, the Palacio de los Verdugo stands at López Núñez 12 in Avila, Spain. It was built in the Plateresco style, characterized by its defensive character. The facade features no windows at the lower height and wide towers on each side. A Vulcanic stone sculpture (verraco) is placed on the street-facing side, reminiscent of numerous such sculptures found around Avila, especially the Toros of Guisando.

The palace has been home to various noble families throughout the centuries, including the Verdugo-Guillamas, Fernández Campomanes, Hurtado, Sánchez-Albornoz, and Muñoz families. It was cataloged by Manuel Goméz Moreno in his work Catálogo Monumental de España in 1901, and later declared a National Monument of Historical-Artistic Character by the Real Decreto 760/1979 of 9 de marzo de 1979. Since 2008, the palace has been the permanent seat of the Secretaría General del Grupo de Ciudades Patrimonio de la Humanidad de España.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons