Casa de Cisneros is a mansion built on Plaza de la Villa in the 16th century at the wish of the nephew of Cardinal Cisneros, the founder of the famous university in the city of Alcala de Henares.
According to legend, Cisneros House was not only a private residence, but also served as a prison for Antonio Perez - a Spanish statesman and personal secretary to King Philip II. It is also known that prominent political figures of Madrid were born within the walls of Casa de Cisneros - the first Duke of Valencia, Ramon Maria Narvaez, as well as the general, historian, and political figure of Spain, Alvaro de Figueroa y Torres.
In 1909, the city council bought this building, joining it to another of its own structures, erected at the beginning of the 17th century to the right of the monument to the Spanish admiral Alvaro de Bazan. The palace in the Madrid Baroque style was built from a design by the talented royal architect Juan Gomez de Mora.
