Prehistory and Antiquity
The Cueva de la Pileta, near Málaga, bears witness to human presence as far back as the Palaeolithic. Superb decorated galleries can be admired here. The Antequera site is home to one of the world's largest megalithic complexes. These include the Menga and Viera dolmens (a monument consisting of a roof slab supported by pillars forming the walls of a burial chamber) and the El Romeral tholos (a circular, corbelled-vaulted burial site). The Romans left a lasting mark on the region's landscape. The mythical Andalusian haciendas are, in fact, direct descendants of the villae rusticae, rich Roman farms. The Visigoths also bequeathed a major architectural legacy: the horseshoe arch, later widely used by the Moors. In Cordoba, traces of the original Visigoth basilica of St. Vincent Martyr can be seen in today's cathedral.
Splendors of Islam
The Arab presence in Andalusia can be divided into three main periods: the Caliphate of Cordoba, the Almoravid and Almohad kingdoms and the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. Each of these periods bears the specific mark of its reigning dynasty, but all share stylistic characteristics that reflect the richness of Islamic architecture. Islamic architecture is the result of refinement achieved through advanced technical and scientific know-how. From the outside, Islamic buildings may appear austere, but they are richly decorated: azulejos, stone or stucco panels, marble, mosaics, wooden blinds and ribbed or coffered ceilings. The most obvious common element is the arch. Directly inherited from the Visigoth tradition, the Moorish horseshoe arch is no longer a purely supporting element, but becomes a decorative element, as with the blind arcatures often used. It gradually evolved from a pointed arch to a poly-lobed arch. Its color also evolves, moving from white-red bichromy to more elaborate shades of color. Decorative motifs are also extremely important, whether geometric, epigraphic, in the form of plants or stalactites (the famous muqarnas). Water is also an essential element in Islamic architecture. It purifies, refreshes and enlarges space thanks to a clever interplay of reflections. Ponds and canals are at the heart of Islamic gardens, replicas of Paradise on Earth. Masters of both religious and defensive architecture, the Arabs left us superb testimonies to their refinement: the Mosque of Cordoba (the largest sanctuary in the Muslim West), theAlhambra in Granada, theAlcazaba in Cadiz and the Torre del Oro in Seville (which served as a model for fortified castles). The Arab presence can also be seen in the urban planning of certain Andalusian towns. For example, the maze of alleyways in Granada's Albaicín district still gives the city center the appearance of a North African medina.
The arts of reconquest
Although the Christians reconquered Andalusia, they did not drive out Moorish artists and craftsmen. Impressed by the refinement of their architecture, they called on them to construct their buildings, particularly religious ones. This marked the advent of the Mudejar style. The latter remained faithful to Muslim tradition in terms of materials (plaster, brick, wood), construction techniques (horseshoe arches, pointed arches, wooden ceilings) and, above all, decorative elements (geometric motifs, finely sculpted ceilings, stucco, ceramics). Portal and minaret towers, as well as window frames with arcatures, are also characteristic features of this style. The church of San Marcos in Seville and, of course, the superb Alcázar Palace in Seville are further examples of the Mudéjar style.
Parallel to the Mudéjar style, Gothic architecture took off. The first Andalusian Gothic style was directly inspired by the Cistercian model (large rosettes on the facades, central nave with two lower side aisles, ribbed windows). In Cordoba, the church of San Lorenzo, with its triple-arched porch, is a fine example. But the most famous example of Andalusian Gothic is Seville Cathedral (one of the last great Gothic cathedrals in Spain). Its star-shaped vaulting, fasciculated pillars (composed of five columns glued together) and abundant decoration are just some of the features to be admired. An art of reconquest par excellence, Gothic was to take on a national color through the Isabelline style. Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Castile, wanted to assert her power. That's why the Isabelline style gives pride of place to coats of arms and heraldic symbols. The Palacio de Jabalquinto in Baeza, in the province of Jaén, is a fine example, as is the astonishing Royal Chapel built by Enrique de Egas, which contains the tombs of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Late Gothic, sometimes also incorporating elements of Moorish styles, the Isabelline style begins the transition to the Renaissance.
The Andalusian Renaissance
Strongly influenced by Mudéjar and Gothic architecture, Andalusia was a latecomer to Renaissance codes, which interacted with past styles. It was at this time that the Giralda, an Almohad tower-minaret, acquired its four-tiered bell tower. Here again, Andalusia was to offer a unique interpretation of the Renaissance canons of balance and harmony, with the emergence of the Plateresque style. An Italian-inspired decorative art form, it features scrolls, arabesques and garlands. It is also characterized by the use of semicircular arches, bossing and the repeated use of medallions and coats-of-arms. So why the name? Plateresque comes from plata, silver, and above all from platero, the goldsmith. With its refined, chiselled decorations, the Plateresque Renaissance is reminiscent of the precise work of the goldsmith. The façade of Seville's Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) is a fine example. One of the great exponents of this style was the architect Diego de Siloé, who designed Granada Cathedral (which inspired the cathedrals of Malaga and Guadix) and the Monasterio de San Jerónimo. The façade features the coats of arms of the Catholic Monarchs, while the first courtyard impresses with its round-arched colonnades topped with shields, arms and emblems of the founding kings. Diego de Siloé did not hesitate to borrow from both Antiquity and the Lombard tradition.
Two other architects left their mark on the Andalusian Renaissance, moving away from the decorative abundance of the Plateresque towards greater purity. Andrés de Vandelvira has been dubbed the Andalusian Brunelleschi. Reducing decoration to its simplest expression, he was able to free up vast spaces, allowing light to flood into his monumentally elegant buildings. He is notably credited with the Assumption Cathedral in Jaén. Petro Machuca, an architect and painter trained by Michelangelo, can be considered the true purist of the Renaissance. He was responsible for one of the most astonishing achievements of the period: the Palace of Charles V in the Alhambra. Its plan is exemplary in its simplicity: simply a circle within a square, forms widely used by the Italian masters as symbols of purity and harmony. But for Andalusians accustomed to more ostentation, this refined style remains a little... strange!
The Renaissance was also the period during which Andalusia built its most beautiful urban villas, with patios surrounded by elegant, harmonious arcaded galleries reminiscent of Roman and Moorish architecture, in which water and garden areas played a central role.
Baroque flamboyances
The evolution of Andalusian Baroque can be divided into three main periods. The first is fairly austere. It is often referred to as Herrerian, after Juan de Herrera, the architect responsible for the Archives of the Indies in Seville, whose sober, rectilinear façade recalls the monumentality and sobriety of Counter-Reformation buildings. Religious buildings of this period also adopt the simple rectangular plan. Seville's Hospital de la Caridad, with its azulejo-decorated façade, is an example of the apparent sobriety of this early Baroque. Gradually, however, this austere appearance is softened. Simple forms and structures were retained - domes, for example, were very often made of wooden frames enhanced with wood, rather than stone - but decorative elements became more elaborate. Alonso Cano is one of the leading exponents of this second Baroque style. Architect, sculptor and painter, he was sometimes called the Spanish Michelangelo. He designed the main façade of Granada Cathedral. But it was in its third period that Andalusian Baroque was to find its most flamboyant expression (some even describe it as outrageous) with the appearance of the Churrigueresque style, named after José de Churriguera (from a large family of architects). Twisted columns, plant motifs framing the portals and interlacing geometric shapes characterize this style. Francisco Hurtado created some of the finest examples of this decorative, moving style: the Monasterio de la Cartuja church in Granada, with its sumptuous decoration of polychrome marble and gilded capitals, and the Basilica of San Juan de Dios in Granada, whose interplay of convex and concave forms was designed to elicit emotion and edification in visitors... as advocated by the codes of the Counter-Reformation. In Seville, Leonardo de Figueroa designed the Palacio San Telmo and theHospital de los Venerables, as well as the churches of del Salvador and San Luis de los Franceses, whose torso columns and polychrome decoration are particularly striking.
Historicism
From the end of the 19th century to Franco's rise to power, Andalusia witnessed the development of a historicist trend that drew heavily on the styles of the past... sometimes bordering on pastiche. This was the advent of the "neo" styles. The most popular of these is neo-Mudéjar, a modern recreation of the Moorish tradition that is inseparable from Andalusian history. In Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the Palacio de Orleans y Borbón, built between 1852 and 1876, is a fine example. So is the San Telmo Pavilion or Costurero de la Reina, designed in 1890 by Juan Talavera de la Vega for the gardens of the San Telmo Palace in Seville. As early as 1909, the city of Seville was preparing to host a major event: the 1929 Hispano-American Exhibition, organized in the Parc María Luisa and designed to highlight the links created between Spain and South America. It was on this occasion that the historicist movement expressed itself most brilliantly. In 1901, the Estación de Plaza de Armas was given a new façade, combining the bricks and ceramics of neo-Mudejar architecture with the glass and iron of industrial architecture. Between 1925 and 1928, the Exhibition Casino was built. With its large circular hall topped by a dome with a lantern covered in azulejos, and its facade adorned with pilasters and plaster moldings, it is a fine example of neo-baroque. But the greatest achievement of this period is of course the Plaza de España, the exhibition's central plaza, which is astonishing for its semi-oval shape and sheer size... it covers almost 50,000 m²! Its monumental palace is inspired by the forms of the Plateresque Renaissance, while incorporating a number of Baroque and Moorish references, as evidenced by the two bell towers flanking it, reminiscent of the Giralda.
Contemporary Andalusia
While the Franco period curtailed architectural creativity, the 1960s saw Andalusia open up to tourism, with many soulless buildings designed to accommodate the massive and constant flow of tourists. In 1987, Seville was officially chosen to host the 1992 Universal Exhibition. To mark the occasion, the city undertook major construction and renovation work on its road network and redesigned the La Cartuja peninsula, named after the Monastery of La Cartuja, where Christopher Columbus prepared his second expedition. Santiago Calatrava built the elegant Puente del Alamillo linking the old town to the peninsula. The bridge is supported at one end by a 138 m-high pylon inclined at 58 degrees, connected at the other end by a series of 13 pairs of cables. Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra designed the Pabellón de la Navegación. Its main façade, overlooking the mythical Guadalquivir River, is extended by a curved metal roof pierced by five large stained-glass windows. A watchtower completes the ensemble. Inside, large curved wooden beams span 40m. The architecture was intended to recall that of the old port sheds... but it aroused circumspection and criticism above all. TheEstación de Santa Justa was designed by Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz. The architects imagined the station as a metaphor for movement, with rounded forms predominating, such as the oval metal structures covering the platforms. For their sober use of materials, their design of a diaphanous, organized interior and their mastery of proportions and light levels, the two architects were awarded the Prix National d'Architecture.
In the 21st century, Seville is once again blowing a wind of architectural innovation... even if these new projects are far from unanimously acclaimed. In 2011, the city inaugurates the Metropol Parasol by Berlin's Jürgen Mayer. Designed as part of the redevelopment of the Plaça de la Encarnación, this 150 x 75 m, 28 m-high wooden structure is made up of six parasols, the shape of which was intended to recall that of the cathedral's vaults... but which Sevillians now refer to as mushrooms! The construction of this superstructure - which houses a museum, a market and even a restaurant on several levels - was widely criticized, not least for its exorbitant cost. Another controversial creation is César Pelli's Tour Sevilla, inaugurated in 2016. This tower, with its elliptical base and 180 m height, draws the eye by its height and color (it is covered by a terra cotta-colored aluminum cladding)... which had the effect of preventing the historic heart of the city from being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The case was a resounding success... and the municipality decided to ban the construction of any new skyscrapers that might damage the city's historic panorama.
Because Andalusia's architectural heritage is one of its greatest assets, many architects today prefer to rehabilitate it, as in the case of Rafael de la Hoz and his renovation of Cordoba's Teatro Góngora, which respects the original function of the site while blending perfectly into the historic urban fabric.
