Alberto de Churriguera

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Round bust of Alberto de Churriguera on a building in the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca

Alberto de Churriguera (born August 7, 1676 in Madrid , † February 27, 1750 in Orgaz ) was a Spanish baroque architect . He came from the famous Churriguera family of artists.

life and work

Alberto was the son of the wood sculptor José Simón de Churriguera and his wife María Ocaña; he was the younger brother of José Benito de Churriguera (1665-1725) and Joaquín de Churriguera (1674-1724). His father died in 1679. A few years later he accompanied his brother to Salamanca, where the Dominican order had given him the commission for the altarpiece of the monastery church of San Esteban ; two years later both worked at the Colegio de San Agustín . From 1698 both signed their orders jointly. From April 1698 they worked on the altarpiece of the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Gracia about 15 km northeast of Salamanca. The events of the following years are largely in the dark.

Salamanca - Plaza Mayor

Only in 1723 it can be found in the new construction of the destroyed by lightning bell tower of the Cathedral of Oviedo . He then worked at the cathedrals of Plasencia and Valladolid ; He also helped build the Church of the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Rueda . After the death of his brothers he took over the work on the new building of the cathedral of Salamanca and was appointed its master builder (maestro mayor) . In 1724, he independently took on the task of redesigning the main square ( Plaza Mayor ) of the city, which was to become his main work, but was only completed by his professional colleague Andrés García de Quiñones in 1755. In October 1738, completely surprisingly, he made his way to the small town of Orgaz , located approx. 270 km southeast of Salamanca , where he directed the construction of the new church of Santo Tomás Apóstol and married for the second time. He stayed here until his death in 1750; he was buried in the crypt of the church.

literature

  • Alfonso Rodríguez G. de Ceballos: Los Churriguera. Instituto Diego Velázquez, CSIC, Madrid 1971
  • Alfonso Rodríguez G. de Ceballos: La Plaza Mayor de Salamanca. Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca 2005, ISBN 84-86820-21-9

Web links

Commons : Alberto de Churriguera  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Churriguera, Alberto de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish baroque architect
DATE OF BIRTH August 7, 1676
PLACE OF BIRTH Madrid
DATE OF DEATH February 27, 1750
Place of death Orgaz