![Lateral del Palacio Episcopal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Lateral_del_Palacio_Episcopal.jpg)
The Episcopal Palace of
Astorga (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
: ''Palacio Episcopal de Astorga'') is a building by
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
architect
Antoni GaudÃ
Antoni Gaudà i Cornet (; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect from Spain known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. GaudÃ's works have a highly individualized, ''sui generis'' style. Most are located in Barcel ...
. It was built between 1889 and 1913. Designed in the Catalan
Modernisme
''Modernisme'' (, Catalan for "modernism"), also known as Catalan modernism and Catalan art nouveau, is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the search of a new entitlement of Catalan culture ...
style, it is one of only three buildings by Gaudà outside
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
.
History
When the original Episcopal Palace was destroyed by a fire in the 19th century, Bishop Juan Bautista Grau y Vallespinos of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Astorga
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Astorga ( la, Asturicensis) is a diocese whose seat is in the city of Astorga, in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain.[Vicar-General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...]
in the
Archdiocese of Tarragona
The Archdiocese of Tarragona (Latin, ''Tarraconensis'') is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Tarragona, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The archdiocese heads the ecclesias ...
and had inaugurated a church for which the architect had designed the high altar.
When Gaudà received the commission, he was still working at the
Palau Güell
The Palau Güell (, en, Güell Palace) is a mansion designed by the architect Antoni Gaudà for the industrial tycoon Eusebi Güell, and was built between 1886 and 1888. It is situated on the Carrer Nou de la Rambla, in the El Raval neighbor ...
in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, and thus he could not move to Astorga to study the terrain and the area of the new construction. He therefore asked the bishop to send him photographs so Gaudà could plan the new project. Gaudà sent back his design, and it was approved in February 1889. The first stone was placed in June the following year.
The edifice, built in gray granite from
El Bierzo
El Bierzo (; ; gl, O Bierzo) is a ''comarca'' in the province of León, Spain. Its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.
The territory of El Bierzo includes m ...
, is in a neo-medieval style harmonizing with its location, including the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
in particular. It does, however, also feature some of the elements typical of the later GaudÃ, such as the arches of the entrance with
buttresses
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (si ...
, and the chimneys integrated in the side
façades. Gaudà had devised a five-meter tall angel to crown the façade, but it was never mounted. The façade has four cylindrical towers and is surrounded by a ditch.
In 1893, after the death of Bishop Grau, Gaudà resigned over disagreements with the council, halting the construction for several years. The palace was completed between 1907 and 1915 by Ricardo Garcia Guereta. During the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, the building served as the local headquarters of the
Falange
The Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (FET y de las JONS; ), frequently shortened to just "FET", was the sole legal party of the Francoist regime in Spain. It was created by General Francisco F ...
. In 1956 Julià Castelltort, a Catalan, began restoration works to adapt the building as a bishop's residence. Later, Bishop
Marcelo González MartÃn
Marcelo González MartÃn (16 January 1918 – 25 August 2004) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain.
González MartÃn was born in Villanubla, Valladolid Province as the son of Marcelo Gonzà ...
promoted the conversion to the current role of the palace, a museum of religious art called ''Museo de los Caminos'', dedicated to the
Way of Santiago.
See also
*
Casa Botines
The Casa Botines (built 1891-1892) is a Modernist building in León, Spain designed by Antoni GaudÃ. It currently houses a museum dedicated to Gaudi, Spanish art of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the history of the building itself.
After being ...
, another project by Gaudà in León
Sources
*
{{Coord, 42.4578, -6.0560, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title
Buildings and structures completed in 1913
Buildings and structures in the Province of León
Episcopal palaces
Museums in Castile and León
Antoni Gaudà buildings
Gothic Revival architecture in Spain
Religious museums in Spain
1913 establishments in Spain
Modernisme architecture
Art Nouveau houses
Astorga, Spain