Palacio Episcopal de Astorga

The Episcopal Palace of Astorga is one of only three buildings Antoni Gaudí completed outside Catalonia, giving it a singular place in the architect's body of work. The commission came about through a personal connection: Bishop Juan Bautista Grau Vallespinós, a fellow native of Reus, called on his compatriot after a fire destroyed the old bishop's residence in 1886. Working from Barcelona, Gaudí designed a neo-Gothic structure in light granite, with pointed arches, corner towers and battlements — unmistakably his hand, even in a style more restrained than his later organic vocabulary. A dispute with the local clergy led Gaudí to abandon the project in 1893, and the palace was finished by other architects. Today it houses the Museo de los Caminos, dedicated to the history of the Camino de Santiago, whose pilgrimage route passes directly in front of the building.