Spanish architecture

Spanish architecture covers structures built anywhere in what is now Spain, as well as work by Spanish architects abroad, with its strongest influence felt in regions that once belonged to the Spanish Empire. It also includes buildings erected within Spain’s current borders long before the country existed as a nation, when the land was known as Iberia, Hispania, or was split among various Christian and Muslim kingdoms. The architecture shows wide historical and geographical variety depending on the era, following paths similar to other styles around the Mediterranean and from central and northern Europe, though some Spanish buildings are one of a kind.

A major turning point came with the Romans, who left some of their most impressive monuments in Hispania. The Visigoths then brought a sharp drop in building skills, matching the decline seen across the rest of the former Roman Empire. The Muslim conquest in 711 CE caused a radical shift, and over the next eight centuries, culture—including architecture—advanced greatly. For instance, under the Umayyad dynasty, Córdoba became the cultural capital of its time. At the same time, Christian kingdoms like Castile and Aragon slowly emerged and created their own styles. At first these styles were mostly cut off from other European influences, but soon they joined the Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance currents, reaching an extraordinary peak with many examples spread across the whole territory. There were also Mudéjar works from the 12th to 16th centuries, a blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance forms with building, ornamental, and decorative motifs taken from those brought to or developed in Al-Andalus.

Near the end of the 15th century, before influencing colonial architecture abroad, Spain itself experimented with Renaissance architecture, mostly carried out by local builders. Spanish Baroque stood out for its flashy Churrigueresque decoration and the more restrained Herrerian style, both developing apart from later international trends. The Colonial style, lasting for centuries, still holds strong influence. Neoclassicism hit its peak in the work of Juan de Villanueva and his followers.

The 19th century had two sides: engineering efforts to create a new language and improve structures using iron and glass as main materials, and an academic focus first on revivals and eclecticism, then on regionalism. The arrival of Modernisme in academic circles produced figures like Gaudí and much of 20th-century architecture. The International style was led by groups such as GATEPAC. Spain is now undergoing a revolution in contemporary architecture, and Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo, Santiago Calatrava, Ricardo Bofill, and many others have gained worldwide fame.

Many architectural sites in Spain, and even parts of cities, have been named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Spain has the third-highest number of World Heritage Sites globally, behind only Italy and China. These are listed at List of World Heritage Sites in Europe: Spain.

**Prehistory**

**Megalithic architecture**

In the Stone Age, the most common megalith on the Iberian Peninsula was the dolmen. These burial chambers usually had floor plans that were pseudocircles or trapezoids, built from huge stones stuck in the ground with others placed on top to form the roof. As the type evolved, an entrance corridor appeared and gradually became more prominent, eventually nearly as wide as the chamber. Roofed corridors and false domes were common in the most advanced stage. The Antequera complex contains the largest dolmens in Europe. The best-preserved, the Cueva de Menga, is twenty-five meters deep and four meters high, built with thirty-two megaliths.

The best-preserved examples of Bronze Age architecture are found in the Balearic Islands, where three kinds of structures appeared: the T-shaped taula, the talayot, and the naveta. Talayots were cone-shaped or pyramid-shaped defensive towers, usually with a central pillar. Navetas were constructions of large stones shaped like a ship’s hull.

**Iberian and Celtic architecture**

The most characteristic Celtic constructions were castros—walled villages usually on hilltops or mountain peaks. They developed in areas occupied by the Celts in the Douro valley (Portugal) and in Galicia. Examples include Las Cogotas in Ávila and the Castro of Santa Tecla in Pontevedra, Spain. The houses inside castros are about 3.5 to 5 meters long, mostly circular with some rectangular, made of stone with thatch roofs resting on a wooden column in the center. Their streets are somewhat regular, suggesting some form of central planning. Towns built by the Arévacos were linked to Iberian culture, and some, like Numantia, reached notable urban development. Others were more primitive and usually carved into rock, like Termantia.

**Roman**

**Urban development**

The Roman conquest, starting in 218 BC, pushed the Iberian Peninsula toward near-complete romanization. Roman culture was fully absorbed by the local population. Former military camps and Iberian, Phoenician, and Greek settlements turned into large cities where urban development flourished in the provinces. Augusta Emerita in Lusitania; Corduba, Italica, Hispalis, and Gades in Hispania Baetica; and Tarraco, Caesar Augusta, Asturica Augusta, Legio Septima Gemina, and Lucus Augusti in Hispania Tarraconensis were among the most important cities, linked by a complex road network. The building boom includes monuments of quality equal to those of the capital.