The building dates from the late 15th or early 16th century.
It is located in Calle Mayor with the corner of Calle de la Prisión, which connects with Calle San Joan through an arch that leads into the Gothic Hall. It was built on a previous building from the 14th century, consisting of one storey and also used as a prison.
The mansion has a ground floor and two additional floors. On the ground floor, the dungeons (for those sentenced to death) and the prison (for common prisoners) could be found, the first floor was the house of the jailer and the women's prison, and the second floor was for common prisoners, although it was also used to lock up soldiers during the Carlist Wars. Currently the dungeons from the 14th century and the external walls from the 16th century are preserved.
The main entrance was through the Carrer Mayor, but there was a back door, where the prisoners were taken to the town hall to be tried or the convicted prisoners were taken to the prison. Today, the prison door is bricked up but the Gothic Hall door remains due to its remodelling.
The building continued to be used as a prison until 1960. In 1997/98, rehabilitation works were carried out and, for a while, it was the Benicarló Archaeology Museum. It is currently housing the Master's Studies Centre.
Data
- Calle Mayor, 5 / 12580 Benicarló
- Telephone: 964 47 31 80
- Fax: 964 47 31 80
- www.ajuntamentdebenicarlo.org
- [email protected]
More information
Access the old town of the municipality.
