Palacio del Pórtico

The Palacio de Carlos V is an unfinished Renaissance palace within the Alhambra in Granada, commissioned by Emperor Charles V in the early 16th century. Pedro Machuca's design defines the almost cubic building, which was constructed around a circular inner courtyard with a two-story colonnade. Although the exterior facades were completed, the structure remained a half-finished shell for a long time because of the state's financial problems, and it was not finished until the 20th century. Today the palace houses the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of the Alhambra. Visitors marvel at the architectural contrast between the rusticated ground floor and the upper floor articulated with pilasters, the richly decorated marble portals with historical reliefs, and the octagonal chapel at the northeast corner. The building stands in stark contrast to the Moorish structures that were demolished to make way for it, and offers an impressive glimpse into the Spanish Renaissance.