The earliest extant building of the Spanish Renaissance

The Palacio de Santa Cruz is an Early Renaissance palace in Valladolid, Spain. Built as a college for the University of Valladolid, it is considered to be the earliest extant building of the Spanish Renaissance. Construction began in 1486 and was completed in 1491 under the supervision of Lorenzo Vázquez de Segovia.

While the palace is a landmark of the period, it features an anomaly in the lack of full symmetry on the main facade. Some observers believe that some of the classical details on the facade may have been added at a later date. However, the main doorway is generally accepted as original to the design of Vázquez. This is supported by a similar doorway on the palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli, built to the designs of the architect at Collogudo.

The university still owns the palace today. It houses the offices of the Rector and his staff, along with two university museums, including one dedicated to African art. The library collection also includes the Valcavado Beatus manuscript.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons