Spanish Baroque is a strand of
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means ...
that evolved in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, its
provinces, and former
colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
.
History
As Italian Baroque influences penetrated across the
Pyrenees, they gradually superseded in popularity the restrained classicizing approach of
Juan de Herrera
Juan de Herrera (1530 – 15 January 1597) was a Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician.
One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain. His sober style rea ...
, which had been in vogue since the late sixteenth century. As early as 1667, the facades of
Granada Cathedral (by
Alonso Cano) and
Jaén Cathedral (by
Eufrasio López de Rojas) suggest the artists' fluency in interpreting traditional motifs of Spanish cathedral architecture in the Baroque aesthetic idiom.
In
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, a vernacular Baroque with its roots in
Herrerian and in traditional brick construction was developed in the
Plaza Mayor and in the Royal Palace of ''El Buen Retiro'', which was destroyed during the French invasion by Napoleon's troops. Its gardens still remain as
Parque del Buen Retiro
The Buen Retiro Park (Spanish: ''Parque del Buen Retiro'', literally "Good retirement park"), Retiro Park or simply El Retiro is one of the largest parks of the city of Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the late 19 ...
. This sober brick Baroque of the 17th century is still well represented in the streets of the capital in palaces and squares.
In contrast to the art of Northern Europe, the Spanish art of the period appealed to the emotions rather than seeking to please the intellect. The
Churriguera The Churriguera family consisted of at least two generations of Spanish sculptors and architects, originally from Barcelona, but who had their greatest impact in Salamanca. The highly decorated Churrigueresque style of architectural construction is ...
family, which specialized in designing altars and retables, revolted against the sobriety of the Herreresque classicism and promoted an intricate, exaggerated, almost capricious style of surface decoration known as the
Churrigueresque. Within half a century, they transformed
Salamanca into an exemplary Churrigueresque city.
The development of the style passed through three phases. Between 1680 and 1720, the Churriguera popularized
Guarini's blend of
Solomonic columns and
Composite order, known as the "supreme order". Between 1720 and 1760, the Churrigueresque column, or
estipite, in the shape of an inverted cone or obelisk, was established as a central element of ornamental decoration. The years from 1760 to 1780 saw a gradual shift of interest away from twisted movement and excessive ornamentation toward a neoclassical balance and sobriety.
Three of the most eye-catching creations of Spanish Baroque are the energetic facades of the
University of Valladolid (
Diego Tome and
Fray Pedro de la Visitación, 1719), the western façade (or Fachada del Obradoiro) of the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (
Fernando de Casas y Novoa, 1750), and the
Hospicio de San Fernando in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
(
Pedro de Ribera
Pedro de Ribera (Madrid 4 August 1681 - Madrid, 1742) was a Spanish architect of the Baroque period.
Biography
Ribera worked almost exclusively in Madrid during the first half of the 18th century. He was a disciple of José Benito de Churriguera ...
, 1722), whose curvilinear extravagance seems to herald
Antonio Gaudí and
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 cultur ...
. In this case as in many others, the design involves a play of tectonic and decorative elements with little relation to structure and function. The focus of the florid ornamentation is an elaborately sculptured surround to a main doorway. If we remove the intricate maze of broken pediments, undulating cornices, stucco shells, inverted tapers and garlands from the rather plain wall it is set against, the building's form would not be affected in the slightest. However, Churrigueresque Baroque offered some of the most impressive combinations of space and light with buildings like
Granada Charterhouse
Granada Charterhouse ( es, Cartuja de Granada) is a Carthusian monastery in Granada, Spain. It is one of the finest examples of Spanish Baroque architecture, Spanish Baroque architecture.
The charterhouse was founded in 1506; construction start ...
(sacristy by
Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo
Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo y Fernández (10 February 1669 – 30 June 1725) was a Spanish architect of the Baroque period, author of the Sancta Sanctorum (sacristy) in the Granada Charterhouse. He was born and educated in Priego de Córdoba ...
), considered to be the apotheosis of Churrigueresque styles applied to interior spaces, or
El Transparente
''El Transparente'' is a Baroque altarpiece in the ambulatory of the Cathedral of Toledo. Its name refers to the unique illumination provided by a large skylight cut very high up into the thick wall across the ambulatory, and another hole cut int ...
of the
Cathedral of Toledo
, native_name_lang =
, image = Toledo Cathedral, from Plaza del Ayuntamiento.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, landscape =
, caption ...
by
Narciso Tomé
Narciso Tomé (1690–1742) was a Spanish architect and sculptor of the late-Baroque or Rococo period.
Tomé was born in Toro, Spain. With his brother, Diego, he sculpted the facade of the University of Valladolid in 1715. In 1721, he was named ...
, where sculpture and architecture are integrated to achieve notable light dramatic effects.
The
Royal Palace of Madrid and the interventions of
Paseo del Prado
The Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It runs north–south between the Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V (also known as Plaza de Atocha), with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo (the loca ...
(''Salón del Prado'' and ''Alcalá'' Doorgate) in the same city, deserve special mention. They were constructed in a sober Baroque international style, often mistaken for neoclassical, by the kings
Philip V and
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
. The
Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso in
Segovia and the
Royal Palace of Aranjuez
The Royal Palace of Aranjuez ( es, Palacio Real de Aranjuez) is one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family. It is located in the town of Aranjuez (Madrid), Spain. Established in the 16th century as a royal hunting lodge, the pala ...
in
Aranjuez
Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid.
Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of Tagus, a bit upstream the discharge of the Jarama. , the municipality h ...
are good examples of Baroque integration of architecture and gardening, with noticeable French influence (La Granja is known as the "Spanish Versailles"), but with local spatial conceptions which in some ways display the heritage of the Moorish occupation.
In the richest imperial province of 17th-century Spain,
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
, florid decorative detailing was more tightly knit to the structure, thus precluding concerns of superfluity. A remarkable convergence of Spanish, French and Dutch Baroque
aesthetics
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...
may be seen in the
Abbey of Averbode (1667). Another characteristic example is the Church of St. Michel at
Louvain
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
(1650–70), with its exuberant two-storey facade, clusters of half-columns, and the complex aggregation of French-inspired sculptural detailing.
Six decades later, the architect
Jaime Bort y Meliá was the first to introduce
Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
to Spain (
Cathedral of Murcia
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 denominations ...
, west facade, 1733). The greatest practitioner of the Spanish Rococo style was a native master,
Ventura Rodríguez, responsible for the dazzling interior of the
Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar
:''See Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Buenos Aires) for the church in Buenos Aires''
The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar ( es, Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zarago ...
in
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...
(1750).
Gallery
Image:Salamanca, Plaza Mayor-PM 16888.jpg, Plaza Mayor in Salamanca (1729–1755), Alberto and Manuel de Lara Churriguera. Andrés Garcia de Quiñones designed the city Hall.
Image:Catedral de Santiago de Compostela agosto 2018 (cropped).jpg, ''Obradoiro'' façade of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Image:Palacio de San Telmo (1681-1796).jpg, Palace of San Telmo
The Palace of San Telmo ( es, Palacio de San Telmo) is a historical edifice in Seville, southern Spain, formerly the ''Universidad de Mareantes'' (a university for navigators), now is the seat of the presidency of the Andalusian Autonomous Governm ...
(1681–1796), by Leonardo de Figueroa
Leonardo de Figueroa (c. 1650, Utiel – 1730, Seville) was a Spanish architect active in Seville.
Works
In Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the prov ...
Image:València, Museo Nacional de Cerámica Palacio Marques Dos Aguas-PM 51835.jpg, Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas (1740) in Valencia. Ignacio Vergara, sculptor
Image:Kathedrale.Murcia.Spanien.JPG, Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia. Main facade by Jaime Bort
Spanish/Hispanic America
The combination of the Native American and Moorish decorative influences with an extremely expressive interpretation of the Churrigueresque idiom may account for the full-bodied and varied character of the Baroque in the American colonies of Spain. Even more than its Spanish counterpart, American Baroque developed as a style of stucco decoration. Twin-towered facades of many American cathedrals of the seventeenth century had medieval roots and the full-fledged Baroque did not appear until 1664, when the Jesuit shrine on Plaza des Armas in
Cusco was built. Even then, the new style hardly affected the structure of churches.
The
Peruvian Baroque was particularly lush, as evidenced by the monastery of San Francisco in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
(1673), which has a dark intricate facade sandwiched between the yellow twin towers. Followed the model of
Il Gesù (also the case of the Jesuit
Church of St. Paul in Lima, provincial "mestizo" (crossbred) styles emerged in
Arequipa,
Potosí and
La Paz. In the eighteenth century, the architects of the region turned for inspiration to the
Mudéjar
Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for M ...
art of medieval Spain. The late Baroque type of Peruvian facade first appears in the Church of Our Lady of Mercy,
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
(1697–1704). Similarly, the ''Iglesia de La Compañia'',
Quito (1722–65) suggests a carved altarpiece with its richly sculpted facade and a surfeit of
Solomonic column.
To the north, the richest province of 18th-century
New Spain – Mexico – produced some fantastically extravagant and visually frenetic architecture known as Mexican Churrigueresque. This ultra-Baroque approach culminates in the works of
Lorenzo Rodriguez
Lorenzo may refer to:
People
* Lorenzo (name)
Places Peru
* San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo
United States
* Lorenzo, Illinois
* Lorenzo, Texas
* San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo
* Lorenzo State ...
, whose masterpiece is the
Sagrario Metropolitano in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
(1749–69). Other fine examples of the style may be found in the remote silver-mining towns. For instance, the Sanctuary at
Ocotlán (begun in 1745) is a top-notch Baroque cathedral surfaced in bright red tiles, which contrast delightfully with a plethora of compressed ornament lavishly applied to the main entrance and the slender flanking towers
exteriorinterior.
The true capital of Mexican Baroque is
Puebla, where a ready supply of hand-painted figurines (
talavera) and vernacular gray stone led to its evolving further into a personalised and highly localised art form with a pronounced Indian flavour. There are about sixty churches whose facades and domes display glazed tiles of many colours, often arranged in Arabic designs. Their interiors are densely saturated with elaborate gold leaf ornamentation. In the 18th century, local artisans developed a distinctive brand of white stucco decoration, named "alfeñique" after a Pueblan candy made from egg whites and sugar.
Earthquake Baroque is a style of
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means ...
found in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, which suffered destructive
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
s during the 17th century and 18th century, where large public buildings, such as
churches, were rebuilt in a
Baroque style. In the Philippines, destruction of earlier churches from frequent earthquakes have made the church proportion lower and wider; side walls were made thicker and heavily
buttress
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 (s ...
ed for stability during shaking. The upper structures were made with lighter materials.
["The City of God: Churches, Convents and Monasteries"](_blank)
Discovering Philippines. Retrieved on 2011-07-06. Bell towers are usually lower and stouter compared to towers in less seismically active regions of the world.
[Finch, Ric]
Rutahsa Adventures. Retrieved on 2011-07-06. Towers have thicker girth in the lower levels, progressively narrowing to the topmost level.
In some churches of the Philippines, aside from functioning as watchtowers against pirates, some bell towers are detached from the main church building to avoid damage in case of a falling bell tower due to an earthquake.
Gallery
File:Catedral zacatecas.jpg, Cathedral of Zacatecas (1752) Mexico
File:Quito-La Compania-01.jpg, Church of La Compañía (1605) Quito, Ecuador
File:St. Augustine Church - Paoay, Ilocos Norte.jpg, Paoay Church
Paoay, officially the Municipality of Paoay ( ilo, Ili ti Paoay; fil, Bayan ng Paoay), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,001 people.
The town is hom ...
(1710) Philippines
File:La merced antigua guatemala 2009d.JPG, Church of La Merced (1767) Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
File:StXavier.jpg, San Xavier del Bac (1692) Tucson, Arizona
File:Ruínas 1.jpg, São Miguel das Missões
São Miguel das Missões is a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil. Important 17th century Spanish Jesuit mission ruins are located in the municipality. San Miguel Mission is within Santo Ângelo Microregion, and the Riogrande ...
(1735–45) Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
File:Iglesia-La-Compania---Cuzco.jpg, Church of La Compañia (1571) Cusco, Peru
Spanish/Hispanic Asia and Pacific
*
Baroque Churches of the Philippines
The Baroque Churches of the Philippines are a collection of four Spanish Colonial-era baroque churches in the Philippines, which were included in UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1993. The churches are also considered as national cultural tre ...
See also
*
Spanish Golden Age
*
Andean Baroque
Andean Baroque (Spanish: ''Barroco andino'' or ''arquitectura mestiza'') is an artistic movement that appeared in colonial Peru between 1680 and 1780. It is located geographically between Arequipa and Lake Titicaca in what is now Peru, where rule ...
*
Earthquake Baroque
*
New Spanish Baroque
*
Spanish Baroque ephemeral architecture
References
*
*
External links
Britannica Online
{{Architecture of Spain
Arch
Baroque architectural styles
Baroque architecture by country