The façade of the

University of Valladolid The University of Valladolid is a public university located in the city of Valladolid, Valladolid province, autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain. Established in the 13th century, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. The un ...

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") , i ...

was built between 1716 and 1718 in the

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

. The architect Fray Pedro de la Visitacion supervised the construction. The facade was part of a project to enlarge the buildings of the university. On the facade are sculptural groups of allegoric representations of the subjects taught in the building. The central area has four gigantic columns, and at the top a comb. On the

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

are represented the Spanish kings that contributed to the improvement of the university.

History

The first building of the university was built in the 15th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, the old building was not sufficient because the university had grown, and an expansion of the complex was made. Another

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

was added that gave more rooms. The complex composed by the two cloisters stayed until 1909 when it was destroyed to rebuild the university. The facade was kept with the new building. In April 1936 a fire destroyed the building, and during repairs stairs were added that go from the facade to the new building. The university is on the outskirts of town, however this building remains as part of the law department.

Description of the facade

This facade is probably the most important baroque public building of

Valladolid Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...

. It is made of stone brought from Campaspero and it is composed of two stories and gigantic columns,

Corinthian capitals The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order w ...

that produce the bow of the entablature. At the top, in the frontispiece, is the statue of the Wisdom, depicted as a matron walking over ignorance. The comb ends the facade giving the sensation of movement. This effect of flexibility was achieve by the bulky size of the ornamentation sculpted in the stone. Those sculptures are composed by royal shields, allegorical figures representing the subjects given by the university (Rhetoric, Geometry, Theology, Canonic Science, Legal Science and Wisdom) and the sculptures of the Spanish kings who have contributed to the development of the Institution of Valladolid, which were

Alfonso VIII Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (''El Noble'') or the one of Las Navas (''el de las Navas''), was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at ...

, Juan I, Enrique III and Felipe II. The sculptures of the kings are located over the entablature and the

, "protecting" the building. Most of the stone crafting was produced by the family Tomé. The atrium is delineated by eighteen columns, each topped by lions holding the royal shield.Picture of the facade, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Derecho_Valladolid_1.jpg

Baroque characteristics

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 t ...

is characterized as "dynamic and dramatic style". The comb located at the top of the building creates this dynamic style and a movement sensation. Another aspect of the facade is "the exaggerated gestures, excessive ornamentation, and unconcealed emotionalism" with the numerous sculptures. The supports have, mainly, a decorative purpose; the four gigantic columns are part of this excessive ornamentation and exaggerated gestures. This facade has an important role within the building. The simplicity in the structure and in the floors shows that this piece of art is part of the early part of the Baroque movement influence by the post-

herrerian The Herrerian style ( es, estilo herreriano or ''arquitectura herreriana'') of architecture was developed in Spain during the last third of the 16th century under the reign of Philip II (1556–1598), and continued in force in the 17th centur ...

architecture. However, the other elements keep clearly this building in the

Baroque period The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

References

Bibliography

* Michael Fazio, Marian Moffet, Lawrence Wodehouse, ''Buildings across Time'' (London, 2008) Page 339 * Jesus Urrea, ''Guia Artistica de Valladolid'', (Valladolid, 1990) Page 135 {{DEFAULTSORT:University of Valladolid, Facade Universities and colleges in Valladolid Baroque architecture in Castile and León