It was the idea of the Catholic Kings to build the Royal Chancery, when they decided to transfer the Law Court from Ciudad Real to Granada in 1505. However, the present-day building must have been built around 1530, during the reign of Charles V.
This building is now the High Court of Justice of Andalucía.
The building is made up of two parts, the Chancery and the Prison, which are linked by a triangular inner section. It was built in Renaissance style around a square courtyard, which opens onto a tall double-sectioned gallery with five arches on each side on ground floor, resting on slender columns. The courtyard, considered the best of its type in the city of Granada, was built in 1540. It was designed and built by the architect and sculptor Diego de Siloé.
The main façade is one of the most emblematic examples of Mannerism in the city of Granada. For a long time it was attributed to Juan de Herrera, but more recently it has been attributed to Francisco del Castillo, nicknamed El Mozo. This architect, who trained in Italy and was greatly inspired by Renaissance art, worked a great deal in this area of Andalucía.
