Barroque Murcia Art Route

The second half of the XVII and the whole of the XVIII century were times of splendour and growth for Murcia. Despite the upheavals in the Spanish empire and the internal wars, the Region experienced a period of changes and progress, accompanied by an increase in the population the advancement of the arts and humanities, and a notable improvement of the economy.

Among the civil monuments of the time, is the Puente Viejo, built by Toribio Martinez de la Vega, who would also build the façade of the la Fuensanta sanctuary. In 1705 he built the palaces of Fontes and de las Brasas, both in the squares named after them, constructed folloqing the preferences of the period, with bricks rendered in plaster and later painted in red and white. Also the Almudí nowadays the Art Centre of Murcia City Council.

This palace was originally conceived as a grain warehouse and a place for commercial transactions, It was destroyed by lightning in 1612, and was rebuilt in 1628. The relief of a matron in the façade, by Hernando de Torquemada, is part of the iriginal façade.

The Palacio Episcopal closes the south side of the cathedral square. It was started in 1748, in a rococo style with neoclassic influences on which a number of master stonemasons from the cathedral works took an active part. The rear façade includes the popular Martillo, overlooking the river Segura and la Glorieta gardens, the most beloved and popular of all squares, and conceived as a great open space according to baroque canons. The coat of arms on the main balcony refers to Bishop Rojas. The palace was concluded under his mandate in 1768. On both sides of the palace are yet other examples of the XVIII century, the two impressive piles of the colegio mayor de San Fulgencio and the Colegio de teologos de San Isidro, completing the urban layout of Belluga square. Both these colleges were promoted by Cardinal Belluga while he was bishop of Cartagena. The two buildings, adapted for modern uses as a secondary school and a school of drama, showing the traditional pink and yellow stucco of Murcian baroque, still visible today in many dwelling around the outskirts of the city.

From this time also is the refurbishment and improvement of el Malecón ( the jetty) a rathe curious containment wall built in the XV century to protect the city from the river floods.

However it was religious architecture that experienced the most significant period of prosperity in this golden century, both in Murcia and in the Region as a whole. Many churches were erected in the city some of them entirely new and most of them using the remains of older chapels and medieval convents. Such are the cases of Veronicas, Santo Domingo, Las Anas, San Miguel, Santa Eulalia or San Nicolas.

The latter is a mognificent example of Murcian religious baroque art. It was started in 1735, following plans of architect Jose Perez of Madrid, and supported with donations from a local patron, Doctor Diego Lopez Zapata. The church has a latin cross plan with four monastic chapels on the sides.

The façade dominated by a medallion of the Saint from Bari, is a mixture of ashlar work and brick by Perez again. The main altarpiece was built by Jaime Bort, the artist in charge of the cathedral´s façade.

The parish church of Santa Eulalia dates back to 1780. It has a group of fiffles or fake architectural finds by the Italian Paolo Sistori as well as a carving by Salzillo. Another singular example is that of San Juan de Dios church, with an oval plan and very aerial dome, designed by Martin Solera. May be the best defined example of XVIII century Murcian baroque is the altarpiece at San Miguel´s church. It was executed by Jacinto Perales and Francisco Salzillo who introduced here a new conception of sculpture with a great dominance of architecture and a new commitment to polychromy found in all of Salzillo´s work rathe deteched from the taste of the time so much into the fashionable golden overlay.

In Guadalupe right in the heart of the fertile huerta and only a few kilometers away from the city center, lies the monatery of Los Jerónimos, Sometimes referred to as the Murcian Escirial a building belonging to the order of San Jeronimo which also owned the other famous religious building of the same name located near Madrid.

In Caravaca the sanctuary of la Vera Cruz is a good representative of the dominant architecturalas style in the Region during the XVII century. The church shows certain influences from El Escorial as well as a framework of balconies and external bay windows in contrast with the sobriety of the internal naves, where the relic of la Santa Cruz is venerated.

The front of the building added one century later, is a magnificent baroque piece carved in red marble from Cehegin. The side cloister includes two sections supported by round arches. Other remarkable examples from this century in Caravaca are the baroque shrine in which the Cruz is bathed every year on May the third. The Town Hall and above the monastery of the order of carmelitas descalzas of rectangular plan and little chapels attached to it, belonging to the Jesuit Order until their expulsion from Spain in 1767.

The simplicity of the façade is a contrast to the rich interior decoration of the church in very typical French style from the second half of the XVIII century. Nearby in Cehegín is the convent of San Esteban, with a remarkable baroque altarpiece dominated by the Virgen de las Maravillas patron saint of the town.

The old Town Council from the XVII century which dominates Constitution square supported on a stretch of what was once the old wall, with its façade in brick and stuccoed plaster.

In Mula there is a largely unknown jewel: the Royal Monastery of La Encarnación a monastic building erected by nuns of the Order of Santa Clara arrived from Trujillo towards the end of the XVIi century. The building has experienced numerous changes and alterations during its history. On the series of arches leading to the inside of the building is the coat of arms of the Austrian Royal Family.

Civil borroque architecture is best represented by a number of buildings in Lorca. The Guadalentin capital took especially fruitful advantage of the favourable conditions of the Golden Age, decorating its perimeters with noble palaces, among which mention must be made of that of the Guevara family built in 1694. Its front shows four magnificent Solomonic Columns and delicate reliefs carved by Nicolás de Bussy. The interior is laid out around a landscaped cloister with baroque decorations.

Close by three other palaces of great interest the Casa de los Mula , Casa de los Condes de San Julian and Casa de los Moreno both of them dating from the end of the XVII century.

The Palace of los Moreno shows anthropomorphic figures on its façade a rather unusual feature in Lorcan architecture. The building houses the Archaeological Museum of Lorca.

However the most emblematic of all buildings in Lorca is no doubt the City Hall formerly a prison. It dominates the main square, another urban space from the XVIII century overlooked by the colegiata de San Patricio.

The City Hall was erected between 1677 and 1739 It is composed of two identical portions linked by an arcade above the calle del Aguila. The spacious balconies in the building are supported by marble columns. Two carvings justice and Charity by Juan de Uceta dominate the building.

In Cartagena the growing importance of its siting and of the commercial transactions generated by its port made it necessary to reinforce the city´s defences. The urban area was fortified under king Charles III and also at this time the Military Arsenal and the castles of Galeras, Atalayas, San Julian y moros and the Fuente de Navidad were built to guarantee the city´s defence. New churches were erected, like that of El Carmen, others were refurbished, like Santo Domingo, Santa Maria de Gracia later modified in neoclassic style, and also refurbished their estates, like of Governor Francisco de Borja now the Casino.

Aguilas until then nothing more than a fishermen´s village raided for centuries by Berber pirates, emerged as a complete new town at the foot of the Castillo de San Juan. A new town was drawn up in 1766 by the military architect Sebastian Feringan who was also responsible for the construction of the Military Arsenal in Cartagena, with an octagonal plan, at that time very popular in Spain´s New World colonies.

Finally the remarkable examples of several monasteries and rural hermitages of great relevance and influence in the XVII century among them the monastery of San Ginés de la Jara in El Algar, of colonial appearance. Santa Ana in Jumilla with its interesting library and the carving if Christ tied to the Column, by Salzillo. The hermitage of la Rogativa on the west side of Moratalla township, a simple construction isolated from the urban area and with the familiar austerity so common of the religious architecture in the Region.

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