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- Title
The Transparente in the Basilica of the Monastery of El Escorial.
- Authors
Chías, Pilar; Abad, Tomás; de Miguel, Manuel; Llorente, Paz
- Abstract
The presbytery of the basilica of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is closed on its eastern side by a monumental altarpiece that, apparently, is attached to the thick outer perimeter wall. However, at the height of the lower section and behind it, there is a vaulted space that has not yet been studied, and whose main interest is its function as a Transparente. This architectural device, a precursor of other solutions used later during the Baroque period, allows the rays of the rising sun to be introduced directly into the tabernacle and onto the high altar through a window positioned for this purpose. Our study deals with the succession of vaulted and lintelled spaces, arches and windows that make it possible to achieve such a singular effect, together with other aspects related to the perception of the whole, and to the geometry of light.
- Subjects
MONASTERIES; SPANISH architecture; SUNRISE &; sunset
- Publication
Nexus Network Journal: Architecture & Mathematics, 2020, Vol 22, Issue 4, p1133
- ISSN
1590-5896
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00004-020-00495-z