Philip IV  In 1629 he ordered the construction of this large building to house the offices of the Chamber of Mayors of the House and Court and the Court Jail. The design was the work of Juan Gómez de Mora, being a surveyor Alonso Carbonel between 1629 and 1636, other architects completed the works, such as Joseph of Villarreal, Bartolome Hurtado García y Jose del Olmo. It is located very close to the Plaza Mayor, in the Plaza de la Provincia.

It has a rectangular plan, with angular towers in the corners, the complex is structured internally in two symmetrical patios that organize the space, allowing ventilation and the entry of natural light.

The combination of exposed brick and granite, so characteristic of many works in Madrid, is reserved here for corners, doorways, lintels and sills, and the spiers that crown the towers. It was a successful model, imitated in many other buildings. The main façade, very striking, resembles a stone altarpiece, very severe and crowned by a pediment. The entire aesthetic reminds us of the Herrerian training of Gómez de Mora, a reminiscence of the late Renaissance in the court architecture of Madrid in the 17th century.

In 1767 its function changed and it remained only as the Chamber of Mayors of House and Court, also very much its name then, becoming called Santa Cruz Palace, due to its proximity to the old parish of Santa Cruz. The jail was moved to an adjacent building.

In 1791 a fire destroyed part of the palace, luckily for us, its façade was saved.

Today it is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A abrazo.