Spanish masterpieces united in Bishop Auckland’s ‘Prado of the north’

Unlikely north-east setting for Salvador Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross and El Greco painting

Two towering examples of Spanish religious art, separated by 350 years but with as many parallels as contrasts, have been brought together in the unlikely setting of a left behind" post-industrial market town in north-east England.

The Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland is fast becoming something of a Prado of the north", some say, and while that might be a slight exaggeration there is certainly art on display there the likes of which cannot be seen anywhere else but the Madrid gallery.