Casa del Cordon, Burgos

The palace of the Constables of Castile, popularly known as Casa del Cordón, is a palace originally from the 15th century that stands in the historic centre of Burgos, presiding over the old Plaza del Mercado Mayor, which was formed by the current squares of La Libertad and Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Its promoters were Pedro Fernández de Velasco, Constable of Castile, and the Countess Mencía de Mendoza y Figueroa, his wife.

The initial design is attributable to Juan de Colonia and his son Simón and it is a civil building in Gothic style of great beauty and harmony, although today it is very modified with respect to the original design. Throughout the building there are numerous representations of the heraldic coats of arms of the couple who owned the palace, and in particular the two coats of arms above the main door are joined by means of a Franciscan cord, also carved in the stone. A cord or chains hung on the door of a house indicate that a king has slept in it. Doña Mencía was devoted to San Francisco and had the Franciscan cord sculpted. This cord is the one that, in the popular lore, gave the building its name. Currently houses a cultural center and the headquarters and head office of a bank.