Lugo Cathedral’s Cloister: Context and Graphic Description

Abstract

At the beginning of the 18th century, Galicia was still going through a period of splendor in architecture, which would reach its acme with the leading figures Fernando de Casas y Novoa and Simón Rodríguez, two of the most renowned masters of Galician Baroque. The architect and master builder of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Fernando de Casas y Novoa, active during the first half of the 18th century, occupies a prominent place in Spanish art history and architecture, and he marked the conclusion of a hyper decorative tendency that had appeared in Spain during the second half of the 17th century, Domingo de Andrade being the maximum exponent in Galicia. The cloister of Lugo Cathedral is the first documented structure built by Casas y Novoa. Although the cloister, with reserved beauty and elegance, was constructed during his youth it gives us a clear idea what this master would bring forth in the years to come.