Origins:
Spain has traditionally imported
its styles of architecture - Moorish from North Africa, Romanesque and
Gothic from France and Renaissance from Italy. Each style, however, was
interpreted
in a distinctively Spanish way, with sudden and strong contrasts
between light and shaded areas, facades alternating between austerity
and extravagant decoration
and thick walls pierced by few windows to lessen the impact of heat and
sunlight. Styles vary from region to region, reflecting the division of
Spain before unifacation.
The key design of a central patio surrounded by arcades has been a
strong feature of civil buildings since Moorish times.
Apart from Phoenician tombs
(as at Almunecar) and megalithic dolmens (as at Antequera), the only
significant pre-Muslim structures are Roman (notably at Italica near
Seville with the
largest of all ampitheatres, a bathhouse and a theatre). The Romans
bequeathed to Andalucia the happy invention of the interior patio in
houses and other
buildings. An idea later taken up by the Muslims. The Visigoths left
little lasting imprint and most of their churches have been built over.
Romanesque (8th to 13th Centuries):
Romanesque churches
were mainly built in Catalonia and along the pilgrim route to Santiago.
Their distinctive features include round arches, massive walls and few
windows.
By the time the Reconqista reached Andalucia in the 13th century, the
first major architectural style of Christian Spain,
Romanesque, was
just on its way out.
One of the few Romanesque buildings in Andalucia is the Iglesia de la
Santa Cruz in Baeza, the first significant Andalucian town to fall to
the Christians.
The church's round arches and semicircular apse make it quite distinct
from the later Gothic buildings.
Moorish Architecture (8th to 15th Centuries):
The Moors
reserved the most lavish decoration for the interior of buildings,
where ornate designs based on geometry, calligraphy and plant motifs
were created in tiles or stucco.
They made extensive use of the horseshoe arch, a feature inherited from
the Visigoths. The greatest surviving works of Moorish architecture in
Spain are in Andaluca.
more about architectural styles:
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