The Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción de Calatrava, commonly known as Colegio de Calatrava, is the only college founded in

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

by the military orders whose building still survives; it belonged to the

Order of Calatrava The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...

History

Instituted as an imperial college in 1552 by

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

and incorporated into the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...

in 1554, the construction of this building did not begin until 1717, by Joaquín de Churriguera who directed the works until his death in 1724. In 1750 the works were resumed under the direction of

Jerónimo García de Quiñones Jerónimo (European Portuguese and Spanish) or Jerônimo (Brazilian Portuguese) may refer to: * Jerónimo (name), a given or surname, Jerome in English ** Jeronimo (singer) (born 1990), Dutch pop singer and actor ** Jerônimo, a Brazilian indigen ...

. He was forced to eliminate the baroque ornaments of the original project due to the

neoclassicist Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

ideas prevailing at that time, especially those that Francisco Ibáñez de Corbera, rector of the school when it was consecrated in 1790, wanted to impose. During the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

, the

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

canvases in the altarpieces disappeared. The facade has two bodies and is articulated by

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s of giant order and topped with a

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 ...

. The decorative elements that adorn it are mostly of

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

inspiration. We notice in the decoration baroque mixtilinear elements around the main doorway, in the doors of the side towers and in the moldings that surround all the windows of the facade. Today it is the seat of the Casa de la Iglesia, an institution that houses the offices of the

Diocese of Salamanca The Diocese of Salamanca () is a Latin Church, Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Salamanca in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Valladolid, Valladolid in Spain.

References

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Bibliography

External links

{{Commons category, Colegio de Calatrava, Salamanca, Colegio de Calatrava (Salamanca), position=left Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Salamanca Bienes de Interés Cultural