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in which the gentry built themselves gorgeous urban palaces with delightful patios
surrounded by harmonious arched galleries. To visit Salamanca is to receive a con-
centrated dose of the most splendid work of plateresque (an early form of Renais-
sance) style. The university facade, especially, is a virtuoso piece, featuring busts,
medallions and a complex floral design. Another fine example of the plateresque is
the Capilla de Reyes Nuevos in Toledo's Catedral.
The heady frills of baroque are a Spanish speciality, although Cádiz's cathedral is
one of only a few almost-complete baroque buildings. The leading exponents of this
often overblown style were the Churriguera brothers; Alberto Churriguera designed
Salamanca's Plaza Mayor and had a hand in the city's cathedral. Baroque reached
new heights of opulence with the Sagrario in Granada's Monasterio de La Cartuja
and the Transparente in Toledo's cathedral. Seville is jammed with gems, while the
facade superimposed over the Romanesque original in the cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela and the cathedral in Murcia are notable.
Torre Agbar (
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), Barcelona
KRZYSZTOF DYDYNSKI
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