subject: Costa Del Sol Holidays For A Wonder Of Architectural Design [print this page] This year when on your COSTA DEL SOL HOLIDAYS, for a real treat take a look at the ancient architecture available in this area for you to explore. For the most part, Spain has purloined a lot of its architecture from places such as the Moorish from North Africa, Romanesque and Gothic from France and from Italy the Renaissance style. When it was brought to Spain the architects added that certain Spanish something that made it their own. The builders also created a strong contrast between the light and shaded areas. Also the windows were reduced in size to compensate for the hot weather. As in its cuisine each region created its own version of the different styles to suite themselves which was of course before Spain's unification. One of the most prevalent designs includes the central patio surrounded by arcades which has been a feature of civil buildings since Moorish times. The residential areas also adopted this patio design but surrounded by homes.
This interior patio actually came from the Romans which was to be taken up by the Moors at a later time. There is not much left to prove the Visigoths even existed in this area as most of their architecture was either destroyed or built over as their churches were. The Phoenician left behind their tombs in Almunecar and in Antequera there are the megalithic dolmens. Most of the architecture left behind before the Moors came from the Romans mostly in the form of amphitheatres, bathhouses, aqueducts and theatres.
The Romanesque period which lasted from the 8th century to the 13th century was a period where churches were mainly built in the Catalonia area, also included was the ones built along the pilgrim route to Santiago. You will be able to recognize them by the round arches, massive walls and a definite lack of windows.
The first style of architecture used in the new Christian Spain was Romanesque but it was on its way out when the Christians took control. There were only a few Romanesque buildings left in Andalucia one of which is the Iglesia de la Santa Cruz in Baeza as it was the first sizable town to fall to the Christians. The later Gothic buildings were easily recognizable as they didn't have the round arches and semicircular apse that the Romanesque had.
The Moorish period of Architecture lasted from the 8th to the 15th century. When the Moors built a building they were more concerned about the interior than the outside which is evident in the ornate designs, use of geometry and plant motifs all of which were used to create tiles or stucco. The horseshoe-shaped arch which came from the Visigoths was used extensively in their work.
When the Moors were finally defeated by the Christians they left behind an amazing amount of architecture mostly in the form of mosque which you can explore while on your COSTA DEL SOL HOLIDAYS. In the Moorish cities the mosque was built at the centre of town along with a large market. All of this was surrounded by a maze of narrow streets, little of this survived the Christians invasion but what did includes some of the greatest Moorish buildings in the world. All you have to do is take a look at the Mezquita in Cordoba, the Alhambra palace in Granada and the Giralda minaret in Seville to understand their importance.
