Pedro Enríquez de Quiñones and his wife Catalina de Rivera began the palace in 1483, and their son Fadrique Enríquez de Rivera, the first Marquis of Tarifa, completed it. Antonio Maria Aprile designed the entrance gate in 1529, and Benvenuto Tortello rebuilt parts of it in the 16th century. The design joins Italian Renaissance forms with Mudéjar elements, and the article calls it the prototype of the Andalusian palace. It has glazed azulejo tiles, a marble gate and about 24 busts from the Roman colony of Italica. The article gives no dimensions.
The name Pilate's House is traced to Fadrique's pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1519. The oldest documented use of the name is from 1754, and the link to Pilate is a popular misidentification.
It is the permanent residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli. It is open to the public and has been a National Monument since 1931.
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