Spanish Renaissance Architecture: 16th Century Styles
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Renaissance Architecture in Spain: 16th Century
During the sixteenth century, Spanish architecture went through three stages, while still incorporating some Moorish-style buildings:
1. Plateresque
Its name comes from the similarity between the decoration of Spanish buildings during the first half of the sixteenth century and goldsmiths' work (really a late Gothic style). Two typical examples of this decoration are the facade of the University of Salamanca, the city of Seville, and the Royal Chapel of Granada, where the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs is located.
2. Romanism
This was the classical revival. The most representative architect is Diego de Siloé, who spent much time in Rome studying the new style. He did this on behalf of the Cathedral of Granada, which later served as inspiration for the cathedrals of Guadix, Málaga, Jaén, and some in Hispanic America.
The cathedral, located in the heart of Granada with an entrance on the Gran Vía, is considered the first Renaissance church in Spain. Founded on May 21, 1492, by the will of the Catholic Monarchs, it was designed in 1505 by the same architects as the Royal Chapel. Work began in 1518 under the Gothic style of the Cathedral of Toledo. The vast Cathedral of Granada served as an exemplary model for all new metropolitan churches built after it from the second third of the 16th century.
In 1518, the works were entrusted to the architect Diego de Siloé, who created a formula to accommodate the size and previous plans. He designed a new layout for the temple in the Spanish Renaissance style, and it was finished in 1704. Diego de Siloé managed to convince the reluctant Emperor Charles V of the possibility of living a Christian spirituality in pagan architecture inherited from the Greeks and Romans.
The Cathedral of Granada is one of the key buildings of Spanish architecture. It sits on the Great Mosque of Granada. Initially, it was a Gothic project, as was customary in Spain in the early decades of the sixteenth century. However, Egas was relieved, and the work was ordered to Diego de Siloé in 1529. He took over the project, incorporating what had already been built and modifying the approach towards a fully Renaissance aesthetic.
The Cathedral of Granada is a large building with five naves separated by pillars, classical columns, and an ambulatory. The beautiful chapel, where the statues of the Catholic Monarchs are located, is particularly noteworthy.
3. Purism
This was a Renaissance style in which all decorations were removed to leave the building in its pure state. The most significant example of this is the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial in the Sierra de Guadarrama in Madrid.
The objectives that this building had to meet were threefold:
- Royal Pantheon
- Monastery
- Seat of power
With this decision of Philip II to convert the Escorial into the Spanish Royal Pantheon, the plans of his great-grandparents Ferdinand and Isabella, his father Charles, and of course all of Granada were frustrated.
The Spanish architectural scene is not complete without a study of the Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra in Granada. The emperor, who spent part of his honeymoon in Granada, lived with his wife in the Moorish palace.