Royal Palace of El Pardo
The Royal Palace of El Pardo (, ) is a historic building in Madrid, Spain, in the present-day district of Fuencarral-El Pardo. It is owned by the Spanish state and administered by the "Patrimonio Nacional" agency. It serves as the state guest house of the Spanish Government. Overview. The palace began as a royal hunting lodge. It became an alternative residence of the kings of Spain until the reign of King Alfonso XII of Spain, who died in the palace in 1885. King Enrique III of Castile ordered the building of the pavilion in 1406 , on Mount El Pardo, because of its abundant game. Later, in the time of Emperor Charles V (1547), it was transformed into a palace by the architect Luis de Vega. On 13 March 1604, a massive fire destroyed many of the paintings it housed, including masterpieces by Titian. King Carlos III of Spain renovated the building in the 18th century, appointing his architect Francesco Sabatini to undertake the job. The interior decoration includes a ceiling frescoed by Gaspar Becerra, and paintings by Vincenzo Carducci and Cabrera. In 1739 the palace hosted talks between the governments of Britain and Spain, who  eventually agreed to the Convention of Pardo in a bid to avert a war. However, the Convention failed to prevent war breaking out shortly afterwards. Dictator Francisco Franco commandeered the palace as his residence after the Spanish Civil War and lived there until his death. Access. Since Franco's death, the building has been used as a residence for visiting heads of state. When not in use by VIPs, it is open to the public. Objects on display include tapestries made by the Royal Tapestry Factory. Goya was one of the artists who designed tapestries for the palace with dimensions  corresponding to specific locations in the building.