TH£ BAROQUE IN ROMAN CATHOLIC COUNTRIES C. l6oO~C. 1760

75. ENRIQUE DE EGAS: STAIRCASE IN THE HOLT CROSS HOSPITAL, TOLEDO, 1504-14.
has been modified and then, in its revised shape with the space
between the wings treated as a formal cour d'honneur, taken over by
Germany* In the centre of the corps de logis is the staircase, an oval
room, larger than any other in the palace. This alone is a most
significant fact.
In the Middle Ages staircases had mattered little. They were
nearly always tucked away—a purely utilitarian part of the building.
Newel staircases taking up as little space as possible were the rule.
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