The palace was built in the first half of the 17th century over the remains of the "Palace of the High Courier", the courtly officer responsible for communications within the kingdom. Between 1606 and 1755 it was the residence of the High-Couriers, becoming the seat of the postal authority for the Kingdom. But, the palace was only concluded in 1776, after remodelling associated with its reconstruction, following the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake.