Santo Hospital of Comillas
| Santo Hospital of Comillas | |
|---|---|
Santo Hospital de Comillas | |
 Santo Hospital of Comillas, designed by Cristóbal Cascante (1885–1888) | |
General information | |
| Type | Hospital (now residential home for the elderly) |
Architectural style | Modernisme |
| Location | Comillas, Cantabria,  Spain |
| Client | Claudio López y López and Benita Díaz de Quijano |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Cristóbal Cascante Colom |
The Santo Hospital of Comillas, also known as the Asilo Hospital de Comillas, is a Modernista building located in Comillas, Cantabria, Spain. It was designed by architect Cristóbal Cascante Colom and built between 1885 and 1888 on the commission of Claudio López y López and his wife Benita Díaz de Quijano, who financed its construction as a hospital for the sick and poor of Comillas.[1] Today the building functions as a residential home for the elderly, managed by the Sisters of San José, and is considered part of the remarkable concentration of Modernista architecture in Comillas.[2]
History
Claudio López y López was the brother of Antonio López y López, 1st Marquess of Comillas, the shipping magnate who transformed Comillas into a centre of Catalan Modernisme architecture in the late 19th century. Following the example set by his brother's ambitious building projects in the town — including the Palacio de Sobrellano and the Chapel-Pantheon of Sobrellano Palace — Claudio López y López commissioned Cristóbal Cascante Colom to design a hospital to replace the older Hospital de Santa Cruz, on whose site the new town hall (Ayuntamiento Nuevo) was later built.[1]
Construction took place between 1885 and 1888, with Plácido Díaz de La Campa serving as master builder (maestro constructor).[1] The building is the only major work in Comillas designed independently by Cascante, as opposed to his role as site director for buildings designed by Joan Martorell and Antoni Gaudí.[2] The original architectural plans have not been preserved.[1]
In 1888, a bust of Claudio López y López was installed in the main hall, sculpted by Agapito Vallmitjana.[3]
Architecture
The building is constructed around a central courtyard and reflects the Modernista style, with notable similarities in composition to the nearby Palacio de Sobrellano.[1] The main façade features a stepped porch leading into the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, which contains a mahogany Neo-Gothic altarpiece. A wooden gallery on the front façade echoes the traditional Cantabrian architectural style (estilo montañés). Two extended sections on the north façade give movement to the composition.[1]
Although the building has undergone several later renovations that altered its original appearance, the wooden gallery and stepped porch remain as characteristic elements of Cascante's design.[4]
Context
The Santo Hospital forms part of the Modernista architectural ensemble of Comillas, which includes the Palacio de Sobrellano (1881–1888) and its Chapel-Pantheon (1881), both by Joan Martorell; El Capricho (1883–1885) by Antoni Gaudí; the Monument to the 1st Marquess of Comillas (1890) by Cascante and Lluís Domènech i Montaner; the Fountain of the Three Spouts (1899) by Domènech i Montaner; and the Pontifical University of Comillas (1882–1892) by Martorell and Domènech i Montaner.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Hospital of Comillas". Turismo Comillas. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Comillas". Red de Municipios Indianos del Cantábrico. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Claudio López y López". Ayuntamiento de Comillas. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Cantabria Modernista". Turismo de Cantabria. Retrieved 15 May 2026.