Built between 1893 and 1907 by the writer Emilia Pardo-Bazan, the Pazo de Meiras palace was valued at more than 5 million Euros by the family last year.
The Spanish state on Thursday took over former dictator General Francisco Franco's summer palace, complete with its vast art trove, and evicted his heirs as part of the leftist government's efforts to erase the legacy of his rule.
As state attorney general Consuelo Castro arrived at the palace in the northwestern region of Galicia to conduct a final inspection and formally take possession, she was greeted by a small group of protesters flanked by a banner that read: Make them give back what was stolen: Francoism never again.