Moorish Revival Architecture
Hello!
I find History to be fascinating and enlightening at the same time. It is for this reason alone that I decided to make my own blog. Whenever I find something that piques my curiosity, I'll be sure to share with my readers. I am going to keep my blogs interesting by writing in a manner that seems conversational, informal and succinct.
For my first blog I would love to discuss Moorish Revival Architecture (MRA).
I was browsing my feed on FaceBook and came across a fascinating image which showed Moorish Revival Architecture at it's finest. I was hooked. Are you? Well, read on then!
Up north on the Tuscan hills of Leccio, Italy, rests Castello di Sammezzano. This place was originally built in the year 780 and looked nothing like this until Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragon renovated the massive site between the years of 1843-1889.
In the picture shown above, it was known as the "Peacock Room" where Ferdinando had his dinners. The colors are vibrant, portraying Oriental, Moroccan, Arabian, and Indian influences.
That's all fine and well, but what is MRA? What makes it stand out from other famed architecture styles? Let's see...
A professor from the University of Northern Colorado, Christopher Muscato, explained that Moorish Revival Architecture "imitated the designs of North African/Spanish Islamic architecture. It was exotic, exciting, and adventurous; everything people of the mid-19th century wanted in a building."
Mr. Muscato also listed several distinctive elements of MRA.
I find History to be fascinating and enlightening at the same time. It is for this reason alone that I decided to make my own blog. Whenever I find something that piques my curiosity, I'll be sure to share with my readers. I am going to keep my blogs interesting by writing in a manner that seems conversational, informal and succinct.
For my first blog I would love to discuss Moorish Revival Architecture (MRA).
I was browsing my feed on FaceBook and came across a fascinating image which showed Moorish Revival Architecture at it's finest. I was hooked. Are you? Well, read on then!
 | |
| The "Peacock Room" at Castello di Sammezzano |
In the picture shown above, it was known as the "Peacock Room" where Ferdinando had his dinners. The colors are vibrant, portraying Oriental, Moroccan, Arabian, and Indian influences.
That's all fine and well, but what is MRA? What makes it stand out from other famed architecture styles? Let's see...
A professor from the University of Northern Colorado, Christopher Muscato, explained that Moorish Revival Architecture "imitated the designs of North African/Spanish Islamic architecture. It was exotic, exciting, and adventurous; everything people of the mid-19th century wanted in a building."
Mr. Muscato also listed several distinctive elements of MRA.
- Horseshoe Arches. Look in the above picture, see the people standing around? Look at the arch above their heads. It is in the exact shape of a elongated horse shoe!
- Onion Shaped Domes with spires ontop them.
3. Last but not the least, the "Ornamentation in the domes, windows, doorways and eaves." Here, the influence from islamic/arabic architecture is pronounced.
Onion shaped dome of the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
There are many examples of MRA that you can find on Google Image searches. I encourage you to check them out. I hope to visit some of these gorgeous buildings in my lifetime.
Until next time,
Ryan
Comments
Post a Comment