Abstract

The catenary arches were used in Spanish Art Nouveau architecture by Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). The theory of the chain, in the shape of a hanging collar, was proposed by Robert Hooke (1676) and used by Christopher Wren in Saint Paul's dome (1675). British school modern mechanic theory was introduced in Spain by Spanish Bourbonic military engineers and also by the Catholic Scottish and Irish families during the eighteenth century. The assessment of some drawings of gunpowder warehouses, found in the collection of Mapas planos y Dibujos (MPD) of the General Archive of Simancas (Archivo General de Simancas, AGS) (AGS 2014), has revealed the use of the chain theory in Miguel Marín's projects for Barcelona (1731) and Tortosa (1733) and Juan de la Feriére ones in A Coruña (1736). A built evidence has also been found: the Carlón wine cellars in Benicarló, built by the O'Connors family from Ireland (1757). The analysis of these examples proved the theory of the chain arrival to Spain during the first half of the eighteenth century.

Keywords: catenary, gunpouder warehouse, military engineering, geometry, Robert Hooke
