José Benito de Churriguera

Who was José Benito de Churriguera?

José Benito de Churriguera was a Spanish architect, sculptor and urbanist of the late-Baroque or Rococo style. He was born in Madrid to a Catalan cabinetmaker, gilder and altarpiece joiner, Josep Simó Xoriguera i Elies and to doña Maria de Ocaña, and studied under his father along with two of his brothers.

His excessively decorated style, which can be described as an obsessively over-wrought horror vacui on any surface or facade, led to the adjective churrigueresque. In Spain, the artistry appears to have been influenced by the highly decorated styles of Moorish architecture. He and his two brothers Joaquin and Alberto were recognized as the leading architects of their time.