Palacio de Benavites (Ávila)

Palace in Ávila

Palacio De Benavites Avila — CC BY-SA 4.0 / Paradores

This palace, built in the second half of the 16th century, was the residence of the Henao. Throughout its history, it has suffered multiple ups and downs as a Civil Guard barracks, a private property and currently a Parador de Turismo. In its garden, following the custom of noble houses in Avila, it preserves a Veton boar.

The founder of this lineage was Álvaro de Henao, Alderman of Ávila, who lived in the second half of the 15th century. His grandson, Juan de Henao, Alderman of Ávila, Corregidor of Ciudad Rodrigo, Úbeda and Baeza, Visitor of the Quantiosos of Córdoba and Gentile Man of the Royal House of Castile, founded the mayorazgo of the Henao in 1582. He was the one who commissioned the works of the house, which were carried out during the second half of the 16th century. Subsequently, this house has belonged to the Sarmiento family, it was used as the Civil Guard Barracks and was private property. Halfway between the 19th and 20th centuries, its last owner, the Marquis of Benavites, reformed it and in 1960 it was adapted for the National Tourism Parador, undergoing numerous changes and extensions that make it difficult to understand its original structure.

Following the custom of the nobles of the 16th century, a granite Veton boar is preserved in the garden, the remains of the first settlers of Ávila.

The Palacio de Benavites (Ávila) appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Ávila!

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