Gaudí, Far from Barcelona

Palacio Episcopal de Astorga de Antoni Gaudí

Gaudí, Far from Barcelona

In Astorga, León, Gaudí’s architecture takes an unexpected form. Beside the cathedral, the Episcopal Palace rises in pale granite, its pointed windows and circular towers suggesting a castle.

Yet this is a nineteenth-century building. Construction began in 1889, bringing Gaudí’s imagination to a city far from Barcelona. Here, medieval references become the starting point for something new.

Arquitectura del Palacio Episcopal de Astorga

A palace born from a fire

After fire destroyed the previous residence in 1886, Bishop Juan Bautista Grau commissioned his fellow native of Reus, Antoni Gaudí, to design its replacement.

The exterior combines the solidity of a fortress with the vertical rhythm of Gothic architecture. Repeated windows, deep entrances and stonework give the façade a strong sense of order, softened by the changing light.

Macarena ante el Palacio Episcopal de Astorga

Heritage in another language

Gaudí left the project in 1893 after Grau’s death. Ricardo García-Guereta later continued the work, completing the palace in 1913.

Its history is one of interpretation and continuation. For Macarena de Alba, that offers a creative approach to heritage: understand a reference, then translate its proportions, rhythm or detail into a different material. The connection need not be literal to remain meaningful.

Detalle del Palacio Episcopal de Astorga de Gaudí

Stone, ceramic and coloured light

Inside, the atmosphere shifts. Brick traces the arches, ceramic adds pattern and stained glass filters daylight across the rooms.

The contrast between heavy stone and delicate surfaces rewards a closer look. A line, a repeated shape, a change in texture: small details give this monumental building its intimacy, and open another way of seeing Gaudí.