Extremadura Guide Eng 2016

Piedad de Luis de Morales. Cathedral of Badajoz.

Rocamador s church. Valencia de Alcántara

22

The Gothic movement will be a continuity of the Romanesque and Proto-Gothic movements at the begin- ning and the most splendid centuries would be XV and XVI, even due to the artistic, stylistic production in Extre- madura, in the middle of XV century, when it would expand to the rest of the peninsular Christian reigns. Extremadura, which belonged to the reigns of León and Castilla during XV and XVI centuries, would belong to the monarchs of Casa de Austria in XVI century, and as it happened with Romanesque style, the Military Orders will be the main promoters of the religious, civil and military constructions, where the labour carried out by the Order of Santiago and the one of Alcántara stand out. The construction will be made of stone and granite, without forgetting about wood and adobe among the most used materials. However, the cross vaults, real construc- tive symbol of this time and style, prevail in the biggest buildings.

During this artistic-historical period, Extremadura will be frequently visited by the monarchs in that moment, like the case of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, pointing out the fact that the Emperor and king of Castilla, Carlos I, wanted to rest in the Monastery of Yuste in his last days, as he considered it as a place for looking for peace during his last years of life. During these centuries the discoveries of the American continent will have important characters who were born in these Extremaduran lands. We refer to Hernán Cortés , Pizarro , Orellana and many others, who became the main universal Extremaduran characters of the XVI century in Spain, helping to make the so-called “Meeting between two worlds: Europe and America” come true. The Renaissance trends will arrive at Extremadura with some delay, as well as it occurred with the Romanesque and Gothic, and the Gothic influences, for example in architecture, would exist until the first quarter

General Aspects

Natural Spaces

Regions and Cities

Other aspects

Art and History

x

x

x

x