Elaborating on our theme of
how distinctive architecture and urban planning can be designed to assert and
maintain dominance of the ruling class, we will be exploring the architectural
strategies employed by the Spanish monarchy following the Reconquista of Granada, Spain.
We will witness the dramatic
transformation in structural design and organization by considering the
relationship between the old city of Granada and its peripheral town, Santa Fe
de Granada, which was constructed contemporaneously with the 1492 Spanish
repossession of Islamic occupied territory.
Granada
The Catholic Spanish
kingdoms of Aragon and Castille were united through the marriage of King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The monarchs brought the Reconquista to an end when the last Muslim ruler in the region
surrendered complete control of the Emirate of Granada to the Spanish crown. Immigrants from Castille and the like
repopulated Medieval city, helping it to develop a more Catholic character.
As we discovered through
their colonial urban practices in Tenochtitlan, the Spanish utilized the destruction
and re-construction of architecture to erase former cultural identity and
influence of the conquered society. Making no exception for Granada, Muslim
places of worship were reformed, while new structures and small squares were
incorporated to transform the cityscape; the primary mosque was converted into a
monumental cathedral (Figure 1), and a Christian palace was constructed within the heart of
the former Islamic fortress complex, the Alhambra (Figure 2).
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| Figure 1: the Cathedral Granada dominates its surrounding buildings in scale. |
The legacy of Islamic art,
however, influenced an architectural heritage rich in pattern and surface
ornament (Figure 2), which was combined with motifs of ‘Isabelline Gothic’ (named for the
Queen). This new style of Spanish
architectural vocabulary was necessary to construct a common Catholic identity
and visual presence of the monarch in Granada (Figure 3).
These aesthetics of
conveying political superiority is epitomized in the grand monuments and
organized layout of Santa Fe de Granada, constructed ex nihilo just a few miles outside of the city of Granada.
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| Figure 2: Courtyard in the Alhambra exhibits the detailed ornamentation of Islamic architecture which heavily influenced the architectural traditions of Granada. |
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| Figure 3: the Royal Coat of Arms embellished into the Cathedral Grenada reasserts the visual omnipresence of the monarchy. |
Santa Fe de Granada
During the initial siege of
Granada, Santa Fe was established as a provisional military camp, its layout
drawn up according to the efficient Roman grid-plan. It was spatially organized in the shape of a cross, valued
for its Christian symbolic potential.
Santa Fe’s implementation of the plaza
mayor (Figure 4) as a principle location for religious, mercantile and government
institutions is reminiscent of the strategic central location of the Forum
constructed in Timgad, as compared to its more organically organized
counterpart in Rome. Reference to
the relationship between these two Roman cities (as discussed in our previous post) parallels motivations for their
urban planning methods with Santa Fe and Granada, respectively.
The new method of urban design used
in constructing Santa Fe functions to control citizens, give physical
order to the lands and emphasize the significance of the church or
monarchy. The plaza design opens up a new vantage point from which to
view the strategic monumental buildings adorning the square, which in
Granada were intermixed within the streets and oriented around main
intersections (Figure 5).
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| Figure 4: the Plaza de Espana, Santa Fe, Granada, isolates the Church of Encarnación from its surroundings, emphasizing its authority. The open space in front of the Cathedral also offers an untarnished view of its facade. |
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| Figure 5: the Casa de Castril in Granada's facade cannot be captured in its entirety from a central location, due to the lack of space in front of the structure. |
WORKS CITED
Escobar, Jesus. "Toward an Urbanismo Austriaco: An Examination of Sources for Urban Planning in the Spanish Habsburg World." Urban Modern Urbanism and the Grid: The Low Countries in International Context. Brepols Publishers, 161-175, 2011.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Granada_%28Spain%29
IMAGES:
Figure 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cathedral_%26_Capilla_Real_Granada_Spain.jpg
Figure 2: http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/04/the_alhambra_in_granada_spain__1999063863.jpg
Figure 3: http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x4698861/spain_andalusia_andalucia_granada_architecture_art_cathedral_u18699698.jpg
Figure 4: http://www.andalucia.com/province/granada/santafe/home.htm
Figure 5: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLa2jD6larTwMslF9OVgaWH5TGXo5QIrcKUFncrptGuLj-N_VH7ALBQc82g6sfaXXBC5lVe_ClzGnRX-e3BKi-6h0TWylcek8mvxIfs8EY6ofCAvUfOeVJ8eyrWguG4OdpakDmr8CUnQn/s1600/Granada_casa_castril_museo_arqueo3.jpg
Figure 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cathedral_%26_Capilla_Real_Granada_Spain.jpg
Figure 2: http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/04/the_alhambra_in_granada_spain__1999063863.jpg
Figure 3: http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x4698861/spain_andalusia_andalucia_granada_architecture_art_cathedral_u18699698.jpg
Figure 4: http://www.andalucia.com/province/granada/santafe/home.htm
Figure 5: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLa2jD6larTwMslF9OVgaWH5TGXo5QIrcKUFncrptGuLj-N_VH7ALBQc82g6sfaXXBC5lVe_ClzGnRX-e3BKi-6h0TWylcek8mvxIfs8EY6ofCAvUfOeVJ8eyrWguG4OdpakDmr8CUnQn/s1600/Granada_casa_castril_museo_arqueo3.jpg
