Development of Urbanism in Granada, Spain

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).  

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.

Figure 2: Courtyard in the Alhambra exhibits the detailed ornamentation of Islamic architecture which heavily influenced the architectural traditions of Granada.

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). 

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.

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