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The House of Shells (Casa de las Conchas) is one of the best examples of 15th-Century civic Gothic, with clear traces of Italian Renaissance influence. The façade is decorated with more than 300 scallop shells, due to the fact that its first owner, Rodrigo Árias, was a member of the Order of Santiago (the scallop shell is traditionally associated with St. James, Santiago) Set within these shells is a beautiful paired Isabeline window (this is the colonette-style window known in Spanish as ajimez) and two exquisite Gothic grilles. The inner patio (courtyard or quadrangle) is framed by mixtilinear arches, which are such a typical feature of Salamanca that the style has been dubbed Salmantino. The building houses the Tourist Information Office.
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Western Europe
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