Park GĂŒell, Casa BatllĂł, Sagrada Familia: try asking the citizens of the world what the mention of these masterpieces in Barcelona brings to mind. We are sure that we will return a unique and unforgettable number to everyone, absolutely everyone, that of Antoni GaudĂ.
But to be honest, the cosmopolitan capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia, famous especially for its art and architecture, by itself, refers to the famous artist. this because Barcelona and GaudĂ They are two names that met, influenced each other and are destined to travel in parallel, for eternity.
And if it is true that everyone knows the works of the Spanish architect in the city, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1984, few know the rest of his work outside of Barcelona. Astorga AdvertisementIn fact, in the LeĂłn region, in the north of Spain, we find one of the few works that the architect Antoni GaudĂ carried out outside his favorite city: the Episcopal Palace.
A fascinating building that stands out for its original and unique appearance, but is far from the stylistic imprint recognizable in the architect. There is no shortage of the strange shapes of the Casa Pedrera, nor the spiers of the Sagrada Familia, there is even a lack of colors, those so loved by Parc GĂŒell.
On the contrary, however, the building appears to the eye of whoever looks at it in its most elegant form, with a upward momentum and four cylindrical towers that alternate with more geometric elements.
Its medieval appearance, and the overall vision, but appropriate to its purpose, commissioned by Bishop Grau to build a new palace, after the fire that completely destroyed the old one, GaudĂ accepted the commission taking into account the needs of his client. and the whole city.
However, the building incorporates some of the elements that will characterize GaudĂ in his future works, such as the arches of the main entrance and the volume located above them, the large chimneys that are integrated into the side facades in which we can glimpse Late Gothic Renaissance style that fascinates the architect.
With the death of Joan Grau in 1893, the Catalan architect resigned from his job leaving the upper floor and the roof of the building unfinished, which were completed a decade later, with more modest solutions, by the Madrid architect Ricardo GarcĂa Guereta.
However, GaudĂ's original project was respected and, today, the Episcopal Palace of Astorga has become an interesting tourist destination, thanks to the city being an important center of the Camino de Santiago. In fact, inside the palace there is also a museum dedicated to pilgrimage.
