Alhambra de Granada - Palace of Carlos V

The Palace of Charles V (in Spanish: Palacio de Carlos V) is located in the Spanish city of Granada. It is located at the top of Assabica Hill within the Nassarite fortress of the Alhambra.

Emperor Charles V married Isabella of Portugal in Seville in 1526. They spent their honeymoon in the Nassarite palaces of the Alhambra in Granada. Then the emperor made the plan to settle here and commissioned the architect Pedro Machuca to build a palace for him.

The size, style and materials used are in stark contrast to the Nassarite complex. The architect opted for a castle that corresponded to the architectural style that was common in Europe at the time. Educated in Italy, he commissioned in 1527 a majestic two-story Renaissance-style building, square in plan , 63 m on each side, with a circular courtyard (30 m in diameter). The high court is one of the most beautiful creations of the Renaissance because of its splendor and opulence. The wide circle occupies the center of the building and is surrounded by a wide portico with 32 Doric columns made of pudding stone from Turro (Loja). The upper part offers the same arrangement, with Ionic columns supporting an entablature in Elvira stone, forming a ring of striking execution .

On one of the entrance doors , a relief commemorates the victory of Charles V over the French King Francis I.

In 2011 the Museum of Fine Arts of Granada is on the second floor .

Willem Vandenameele