146- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
What was Mudéjar architecture?
Mudéjar architects arrived at their work from the opposite
direction.They were Moors who, finding themselves in
newly Christianised lands as theReconquistamoved
south, implanted Moorish design into the Catholic arena
to create something new. Reflecting the shift in power
betweenMorosandCristianos, most Mudéjar buildings
came a couple of centuries after the best Mozarabic
efforts went up.The decorative flair ofazulejotiles,
latticework and intricate carving mingled with the
Romanesque, Gothic and even Renaissance structures
drawn south from northern Europe over a period of
centuries. Elements of the Jewish culture that lived
alongside Christians and Moors for a time also emerged
in what was a highly eclectic style. Above all, the eloquent
use of brick signified a Mudéjar hand at work. Bits of
their work can be found across Spain. In the north, from
whence it spread, the 12thcentury church at Sahagún,
León, is an early Mudéjar work, its use of brick a dead
giveaway. Aragón was particularly enamoured with
the style, as evidenced by the famous lofty, brick and
ceramic-towered Mudéjar churches ofTeruel, four of
which make it onto the UNESCO World Heritage list.
However, it’s the Reales Alcázares Palace of Seville,
underway by 1364, that often gets cited as the zenith of
Mudéjar architecture. Patios, polylobed archways, fussy
ceilings and fountains – it’s all in there somewhere, and
most of it was built under Christian rule.Tile file
Azulejotiles were a
strong feature of
Moorish architecture.
Painted, glazed and
arranged in geometric
or natural patterns they
became a favourite
feature of Iberian design
and remain so today.
The Moors actually
borrowed theazulejo
tile from the Persians.
The Alhambra palace
takes its name from
its rusty coloured
exterior walls;al-hamra
translating as ‘the red’.