Palacio de la Madraza

The Palacio de la Madraza was founded by King Yusuf I of Granada, in 1349. It worked as a university until 1499 or early 1500 until the capitulations that followed the conquest of the city by the Catholic Kings. But in 1499, with the arrival in Granada by Gonzalo Jimenez de Cisneros, the policy of tolerance and observance of capitulations that had been developed by the Archbishop Hernando de Talavera was ousted by Christianization and Europeanization. This new policy led to the uprising of Granada, concentrated mainly in Albaicin. The situation was exploited by Cisneros to assault the Madraza, whose library was taken to the Plaza de Bib-Rambla and burned in a public bonfire. Once plundered and closed, the building was donated by Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1500, for the Cabildo (council) to perform the functions of the Chapter House until the nineteenth century.
 
Today the house is part of the University of Granada, lying inside the premises of the Faculty of Arts, which holds occasional exhibitions.  Between 2006 and 2007, the house was thoroughly restored and an archaeological excavation took place. Once opened to the public, it has become one of the most emblematic buildings of the university.