Casa de los Tiros (House of Shots)

This magnificent Renaissance house located in Pavaneras street, within the popular district of Saint Matias is popularly known as House of Shots or "Casa de los Tiros" because of the muskets and cannons that appear on the battlements of the main facade. Granada is a city of legends and, about this house, the following has been told:

“Around the year 1723, Doña Luisa de Zafra was offended by a student, and the Marquis of Salar, her lover, came to defend her honor. Finding the boy in Plaza Nueva, he pierced his heart with his sword. The noble man sought assistance from the President of the Chancellery who housed him at the very seat of Justice. Once there he received a letter from her lover telling him that there would be no pardon on the part of the judge, so the Marquis could not bear such a disgrace for his lineage and ended his life using a firearm. A week later, judgement arrived telling his life was pardoned thanks to the influence of his father-in-law, who claimed honor defense.
Many years later, a resident of the house felt a hollow behind a wall and proceeded to break it down. Once the wall had been demolished, the room where the Marquis of Salar committed suicide appeared. From that moment, the house is known as House of Shots or Casa de los Tiros”.

Doorknockers

The main door opens to Padre Suarez square. The door is linteled and above it there is a spade touching a heart with its tip and, besides it, the inscription “He rules” can be read. There are three bronze doorknockers with triangular, square and octagonal shape, supported by hearts and each of them bear the same slogan referred to the heart. The facade is completed with sculptures that are strategically set and represent mythological heroes: Hercules, Teseo, Jason and Hector.

It has a rectangular arcaded courtyard on all four sides, the gallery on the north side serves as the way towards a garden. Through two staircases that start from this courtyard one can access the upper floors, the one placed in the southeast corner giving access to the museum is the most monumental.

The golden room

The main hall is known as “Golden Stable”. It is situated on the upper floor and above the hallway. In the leaves of its door, it has six carved busts of heroes surrounded by the crown of victory or bay leaf and, in the back, Rengifo’s family crest with a flag which contains a Latin inscription about the house motto.

The leaves of the windows shutters are also decorated with carvings of heads in the same style as the previous ones.

The roof is covered with wood coffering, which has a single order of beams about dogs with human figures. The beams are carved with two swords and their tips are directed toward a heart with the slogan "El mee fecit”. On the other side of the ceiling or sections, there are busts of heroes accompanied by legends on their deeds. In the center of the walls, at their very top, four roundels are placed with busts of Semirames, Penthesilea, Judith and Lucretia.

This house, built for the Gil Vazquez-Rengifo family, belonged to the Marquis of Campotejar until 1921 and then became property of the Crown, as in Generalife´s case.

Nowadays this is the seat for the Popular Costume and Art Museum.