Issue date: 14 Oct, 2017
Architecture in Granite. Xalet Arajol
This year, the philatelic route that Correos in Spain is taking through sites with Andorran granite architecture is focusing on Xalet Arajol, which features exclusively on one of the stamps of the mini sheet, depicting one of the façades of the building.
On the stamp, some of the main characteristics of this architectural style can be admired, such as the arrangement of the granite ashlars, carved into different shapes and placed on the façade to achieve a decorative effect, defining the corners of the building, and the arches and lintels ofthe doors and windows.
However, it moves away from the symmetrical shapes that had been used up until that point on other buildings, experimenting here with the volumes of the different parts of the building, which stand out from the façade, and with the arrangement and shape of the openings, using both single and twin windows topped by arches or straight lintels.
The house, home of the Arajol family, is an example of this architectural style in residential buildings, unlike other buildings, such as hotels and spas, which were originally built as part of a fashion for holidays centred around nature and spas. This factor, together with others such as the introduction of electrificity, which attracted many Spanish stonemasons to travel to Andorra with their extensive experience in granite carving techniques, and the contribution of important architects such as César Martinell, Celestí Gusi, Joseph Puig i Cadafalch, Adolf Florensa and Xavier Pla, contributed to the development of granite architecture from the 1930s to the 1960s.
This type of architecture, combining the influences of other styles such as Art Nouveau, Historicism and Noucentisme, reflects the socio-economic changes that the Principality of Andorra experienced in the mid-20th century, evolving from an essentially rural to an urban society.
The taste and appreciation for this architectural style led to its expansion into other towns in the Pyrenees such as Seu d’Urgell, Ax-les-Thermes, Núria and La Molina.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.