Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos

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The Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago da Compostela is a five-star hotel which Jan Morris ("Spain", p.60) calls "perhaps the most beautiful hotel in Europe".

It lies by the main facade of Santiago cathedral and on Plaza Obradoiro plaza. It is claimed to be the world's first hotel and has housed a hospital. It is now one of Spain’s sumptuous state-run paradors. crafted stone decoration (Laurie Lamber 1999).

The hotel is a "stand alone" example of Galician architecture. It has a decorative facade designed by Enrique Egas which includes sculptures, coats of arms and a series of narrow windows, but it is the internal features of the building and its geometry that really make it special.

The hotel has four colonnaded and interconnected courtyards within its walls. Two of these piazzas date from the eighteen hundreds, but the two earlier squares are from the sixteenth century and feature water fountains at their hearts. The later courtyards are of a baroque design and were constructed during extensive remodelling and renovation.

The building was commissioned by the Spanish king in the fifteenth century as a hostal and hospital for Santiago’s visiting pilgrims, but it has some other idiosyncrasies.

[edit] External links

• Hotel website]