CHURRIGUERA, Alberto
(b. 1676, Madrid, d. 1750, Orgaz)

General view

1728-55
Photo
Plaza Mayor, Salamanca

Salamanca still centres on its fine arcaded Plaza Mayor (1729–33; designed by Alberto Churriguera and completed by Andrés García de Quinones), which was originally intended to serve on occasion as a bullring and which has a surrounding arcade ornamented on two sides with medallions of the kings of Spain. There also is the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) designed by Alberto Churriguera and completed only in 1755 by Andrés García de Quiñones.

The rectangular square at the heart of the university town rivaled the older Plaza Mayor complexes in Madrid and Valladolid. It is remarkable for its elegance and the festive and light-hearted decorations on the façades, rising to three stories over the arcades. Each window had a balcony with iron railings; even today these are the perfect place from which to follow the activity of the square.Two buildings rose above the uniform structures around the Plaza Mayor: the royal pavilion and its great arched gateway and, opposite, the town hall completed only in 1755 by Andrés García de Quiñones

The picture shows the Plaza Mayor with Royal Pavilion.