Eugenia de Montijo House

The first reference we have of the building dates from 1693 in a deed of sale. This reflects Diego Zurita Puente, brother of the priest of the church of Santa María del Castillo, as the owner of the residence, granted by the perpetual alderman of Cuéllar, Don Manuel de Vellosillo, and there are no further records until 1805, when it passed into the hands of Tomasa Tamayo for 15,200 reales. Years later it was bought by Don Pedro Alcántara López de Zúñiga, Duke of Peñaranda, Count of Miranda [...] and his wife, María del Carmen Josefa López de Zúñiga. The couple died childless and the house passed to Josefa López de Zúñiga y Téllez Girón, married to the Count of Montijo. These passed the property to Cipriana Portocarrero y Palafox, Countess of San Esteban, Miranda, Montijo [...] who would end up giving the house in inheritance to María Francisca de Sales Portocarrero, Palafox y Kirkpatrick, married to the Duke of Alba and older sister of the Empress Eugenia de Montijo, queen consort of the French between 1852 and 1870. From here comes the fame and the name of this residence, because although the Empress did not live continuously in the palace, it was used as a house of rest by her, although the property has always been more linked to the Dukes of Alba.