Architecture of convent libraries

Architecture of convent libraries | Construpedia

Foundations

Throughout history monasteries were founded mainly by kings, bishops or nobles. The reasons for any of them to found a monastery could be their own interest, in order to reserve a burial there, which would involve the perpetual prayer of the monks for the salvation of their soul;[9] or also to provide shelter for a widowed, single or bastard princess, in the case of kings. Sometimes the reason for founding or protecting a certain monastery was due to political or war reasons since many of them were located in places bordering Castile with León or Navarra, as was the case of the Matallana monastery (in the province of Valladolid), located on the Castilian-Leonese border, or that of Bujedo on the Castilian-Navarrean border. The bishops also had great interest in the construction of a monastery over which to exercise their authority, especially in the feudal period, which guaranteed territory and income; The nobility had a desire to save their soul and that of their family, in addition to demonstrating their great political influence and their great power by sponsoring one of these great works. The monastic vows (poverty, chastity and obedience) made the monastic destiny of the second sons particularly suitable, regardless of the sincerity or otherwise of their vocation), who in this way did not dispute the inheritance of the first-born, keeping the patrimonies undivided (institution of primogeniture). This close identification between clergy and nobility, both privileged classes, survived as a long-lasting phenomenon "Long duration (historiography)") throughout the Middle Ages and the Modern Age until the end of the Old Regime.[10].

There are other monasteries that emerge on their own, from an oratory around which a community is formed. This is the case of the monastery of San Juan de Ortega[11] which was originally a humble oratory founded by this saint to keep the relics of San Nicolás de Bari and the arrival of more people to take care of the place led to the formation of a community with the need to build the premises of a monastery. Or from anchorites, in some cases duplicitous,[12] who allowed themselves to be guided by some rule, such as the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Vallbona (Vallbona de les Monges); The monastery of Santo Domingo de Ocaña") (Toledo) of the century has the particularity of having been founded by a neighbor who wanted to have the preachers close.

There are recent foundations (from the 19th century) whose destiny is very clear from the origin, such as the monastery or House of spirituality of the Dominican Fathers of Caleruega") (Burgos), from 1952, intended as a convent-university-house of spirituality. In this field of education we can also include the monastery of Our Lady of the Angels of Palma de Mallorca"), from 1914, conceived as a Major Seminary, Novitiate House, School and Ecumenical Center that regularly lend to the German Evangelical Lutheran Protestants.

The first Spanish monasteries

Over the centuries, the Hispanic-Visigothic culture manifested itself in a monastic richness where ancient tradition still flourished and where the Hispanic monks themselves wrote the rules of monastic coexistence. A large number of monasteries arose in this period.

In some sources the Monastery of San Victoriano de Asán (Sobrarbe, province of Huesca) is considered the first monastery founded in Spain, although more likely, given the existence of references to previous monasteries, what can be said with more certainty is that it is the first foundation by royal initiative: that of the Visigoth king Gesaleico in 506.[13] Others were due to the Suebi, in the northwestern area, with the activity of Saint Martin of Dumio, from Pannonia. Other founding saints, such as Saint Donatus, came from Africa to Játiva.[14] Saint Fructuoso of Braga, at the beginning of the century founded the monastery of Compludo") and twenty other foundations from Galicia to Baetica. In the same century, Saint Leander and his brother Saint Isidore composed their own monastic rules.[15].

Morphologically, in Hispanic monasteries two concepts are clearly distinguished:

• - Closing of the complex, which is called claustra[16].

• - Cloistered rooms, called domus.

The cloister was an exterior enclosure that isolated and protected the monastic building, something very important for the religious life that was intended to be cultivated. In one of the chapters of the rule of Saint Isidore") it is said:

He then advises that the city be kept far away and that the closure be respected above all. To do this, he suggests building an enclosure or wall for the monastic quarters and another that includes the garden. This first enclosure is called claustral or cloister.

The second concept is that referring to the domus, that is, the group of houses that constitute the monastery. Within the domus, the documents refer to two different places: domus domorum, that is, the house par excellence, that is, the church, and domus maior, which is the monks' pavilion and which served as a bedroom and for use in community life. According to the comments that survive, the domus maior must have been a large, high-quality building, which used to be located next to the church, at the level of the atrium.

In the domus complex there were also other necessary rooms such as the "Cilla (architecture)"), the infirmary, the punishment cell, the novitiate, the concierge, etc. What centuries later (with the Benedictine order) would be called chapter room, in these Hispanic monasteries is called conference room. There is a lot of talk about this space and its usefulness in the documents but it is not known for sure where it was located. It is known that for minor matters the monks met in the choir.

The documentation on Hispanic monasteries is quite abundant and descriptive. However, only some churches of the monastic complex have been preserved; The rest of the site is lost and the few archaeological investigations that exist do not give conclusive results.

Repopulation monasteries

They are those monasteries that arose from the century onwards in repopulation lands, which until now had been barren areas, no man's land, abandoned places in the Duero basin and Bierzo lands, in León. They could be new buildings or previous half-demolished and neglected churches that the new monks transformed and completed with monastic quarters.[17] These nuclei were not, in many cases, 100% depopulated, but were sometimes inhabited by small groups, shepherds or farmers, attached to their land.

The monks who built this type of monastery came from both the south (especially from Córdoba "Córdoba (Spain), at a time of persecution of Christians in that city) and the north,[18] each contributing the influences of the place of origin, but without forgetting the traditional Hispano-Gothic forms. The architectural heritage that survived almost two centuries despite abandonment will be restored by these repopulating people. The lands of the Duero Valley will witness the resurgence of neo-Visigothic architecture during the centuries and , while the Catalan lands[19] will enter the first Romanesque in the year 1000. Such is the testimony given by the small churches, the only remains of the monasteries of that time that have survived to this day.

Many of these constructions will take advantage of old religious buildings from the Visigoth period and also mosques, especially in Aragon first and, later, Andalusia.

Almost all buildings from this period have quite a bit in common, so a generalized description of the construction elements and ornamentation can be made.

Materials used. The main ones are masonry,[20] stone and wood. The walls are built either in masonry or in large courses of squared ashlars. The latter is typical of places that have nearby quarries. Where slate exists, this material is usually used. In masonry work, in many cases the corners and window openings are reinforced with large, well-crafted ashlars.

Vaults, roofs, arches and columns. The tendency and ideal of the builders was to cover all the spaces with a stone barrel vault, but this could not always be done, in some cases due to the cost of the work, in others due to technical difficulties. Very few monuments managed to cover all their areas with a vault, it being normal to vault only the apses and cover the rest of the naves with wooden reinforcement. However, in small churches, vaulting was attempted even though poor materials were used with tuff stone mixed with brick and masonry.

The profile of the barrels of the vaults was made in a horseshoe arch following the tradition of Asturian architecture (with ancestry in Visigothic art) and in some cases following the influence of the Mozarabs of Córdoba. The great influence of Cordoban art on these buildings is manifested in the rib vaults.[21].

The most used arch is the horseshoe arch that coexists with the semicircular arch. The Mozarabic horseshoe arch differs from the Asturian and Islamic ones in being more banked (it closes ²/³ of the radius). Sometimes this cant varies in the same building, as happens in San Miguel de Escalada.

The columns are always taken from other buildings, generally Roman. Its discovery by the builders, appropriation and transportation is a common and highly convenient fact. Sometimes they come from places very far from their final destination. Many of the capitals are also reused; Those made expressly for the building follow a Corinthian tradition with the characteristic of the braided design of the collar (like the Asturian sogueado).

As for the ornamental sculpture, it did not reach a great development.[22] The eaves, very overhanging, were copiously decorated, as well as the window openings that were filled with beautiful stone lattices.[23] Many times the doors and windows were framed with alfiz. However, there are very numerous epigraphs as paramental decoration; there are all kinds; funeral, consecration, foundational, etc. They are written with good calligraphy and on a base of good material, usually marble.

Painting always constituted the finishing of the building. A church was not considered completed if its walls had not been painted both inside and outside.[24] Few traces of paint have been maintained over the centuries since, on the one hand, it is the decorative element that least resists the passage of time and on the other, the restoring architects of the century made the facelift fashionable, only respecting in some cases the little historical mural painting. If the exteriors were plastered, they were scraped until stone or brick or masonry appeared. This fashion continued throughout the century and continues into the century.

The buildings were therefore covered with a certain tone and then different colors were given on the different details (arches, moldings, capitals, imposts). It is known that the Church of Santiago de Peñalba had a red-painted plinth, 73 cm high, both outside and inside.

• - Monastery of San Miguel de Escalada, in the province of León, founded by Abbot Alfonso who arrived from Córdoba; In the time of Alfonso III there was an ancient temple dedicated to San Miguel. The monastery was consecrated in 913 by Bishop Genadio of Astorga.

• - Monastery of San Cebrián de Mazote"), in the Valladolid town of San Cebrián de Mazote, founded in the times of Ordoño II by monks from Córdoba.

• - Monastery of San Román de Hornija. It is known from documents that Chindasvinto died in 653 and was buried in a monastery that already existed in this place. In the century it was already a priory of the monastery of San Pedro de Montes in the region of El Bierzo (León).

Monasteries of the mendicant orders

The mendicant orders (also called preachers) are the new orders that emerged at the dawn of the century under the name Dominicans and Franciscans. They emerged as a spiritual and necessary response at a time when monastic orders had once again relaxed norms and behavior. They brought as a novelty their mode of action based on direct action towards the faithful and the organization system that was based on division by provinces.

The convents or monasteries of these monks were always very close to the city or within it. Also on the roads (especially on the Camino de Santiago) where they offered assistance and charity to travelers.

The complex of monastic buildings is on par with the usual monastery model, however in most cases it offers certain differences according to the needs and work of these monks. Many of the foundations were made taking advantage of donations of houses that were more or less adapted for community life. The churches were built from a new floor (or in some cases expanding an existing hermitage or humiliation), with their own characteristics. One of the greatest demands when building was the acoustics, since sermons and talks with the faithful were common practice. The church was almost always divided into two parts, one for the common people and another for the cloistered monks. These churches did not provide their own style but rather adapted to the fashion of the moment and geographical needs. Another characteristic was the small number of chapels in the head, in contrast to the Cistercian churches. This is because the regulations did not require each monk to say daily mass, quite the opposite. Francis of Assisi says in the General Chapter:

As for the construction, it is characterized by poor materials, a severe façade with hardly any sculptures; The apse is usually polygonal and has long windows. The construction techniques and traditions of the place where the new foundation is established were adapted and assimilated; That is why churches can vary depending on the geographical area. In Spain there were two models: buildings with a Latin cross plan[27] and buildings with a single nave with chapels between buttresses.[28].

In Navarre there was a great proliferation of mendicant convents during the Champagne monarchy, especially with Tybalt II who defined himself as protector and main patron. In Castilla y León many convents were built but most of them reached the century in very poor condition.[29].

The monastery on the Camino de Santiago

Many monasteries emerged along the entire Camino de Santiago, some of which have completely disappeared. The most characteristic for the care of pilgrims were the hospitals or inns[32] governed by a small community of monks belonging to different orders, but many of the monasteries on this route had their own hospitals attached as well. Here is a list of the most important monasteries on this route:

• - San Juan de la Peña. Pantheon of Aragonese and Navarrese kings.

• - Monastery of Leyre, Benedictine, driving force of the Reconquest and refuge of Navarrese kings and bishops. It has an attached guesthouse for pilgrims.

• - Convent of Santo Domingo (Estella) "Convent of Santo Domingo (Estella)"), founded by Teobaldo II of Navarra in 1259.

• - Monastery of Nuestra Señora la Real de Irache, which is not on the same route of the Camino but on a detour from Ayegui. It is one of the oldest Navarrese Benedictine monasteries; Its origin may be Visigothic. It was a Hospital founded by García Sánchez III el de Nájera, in 1051. Currently (2007) it is run by the Piarist Fathers.

• - Convent of San Antón&action=edit&redlink=1 "Convent of San Antón (Navarrete) (not yet written)") in Navarrete of which only ruins remain. It is on the outskirts as befits these institutions.[33].

• - Monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera, founded by García Sánchez III of Pamplona, along with a pilgrim hospital. Alfonso VI incorporated the monastery to Cluny in 1079, to promote pilgrimage; was against the bishop of Nájera") who since then moved the headquarters to Calahorra as a sign of protest. This monastery is the pantheon of the kings of Navarra. Since 1895 it has been run by Franciscan fathers.

• - Monastery of Cañas (homeland of Santo Domingo de Silos). Female Cistercian abbey founded in 1170.

• - Monastery of San Félix de Oca") on the hill of San Felices") whose origin dates back to the 19th century. In 1049 it was annexed to San Millán de la Cogolla. According to tradition, Diego Porcelos, the founder of the city of Burgos, was buried in this monastery. Of the monastic complex, only some ruins of the apse of the church remain.

• - Monastery of San Juan de Ortega. San Juan de Ortega founded this site more as a pilgrim hospital than as a monastery. In 1170 Alfonso VIII gave this charitable center to the jurisdiction of Burgos and later in 1432 the Church of Burgos put the Order of San Jerónimo in charge.

• - Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist&action=edit&redlink=1 "Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist (Burgos) (not yet written)"), outside the walls of Burgos, former hospital complex that Alfonso VI placed in 1091 under the protection of the Benedictine abbey of Chaise-Dieu in the Haute-Loire, with Saint Lesmes as prior. Some of the rooms of the monastery are preserved intact (the chapter house and the cloister), while only the façade of the convent church remains.

• - Las Huelgas Monastery, which ran the King's Hospital founded by Alfonso VI for pilgrims.

• - Benedictine monastery dependent on Rocamador with donations and privileges from Alfonso XI of Castile. It was founded to make the difficult passage from Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz easier for pilgrims.

• - Convent of San Antón de Castrojeriz. Monastery founded by Alfonso VII of León in 1146 for the order of the Antonians") of French origin. They are ruins of the century with the particularity that the road passes under a Gothic arch, leaving the great doorway on the left.[34].

• - Cistercian monastery that emerged in Castrojeriz next to the Pilgrims Hospital founded by Count Nuño Pérez de Lara and his wife Teresa. It was located next to the Fitero bridge (pons Fiteria), over the Pisuerga river.

• - Benedictine monastery "Church of Saint Martin of Tours (Frómista)"), founded by Queen Mayor in 1035 in the town of Frómista, of which only the church of Saint Martin remains (a good example of the Romanesque of the century).

• - Monastery of Santa Clara (Carrión de los Condes) "Monastery of Santa Clara (Carrión de los Condes)"), founded in the 19th century.

• - Abbey of Santa María de Benevívere, century, in Benevívere"). Only ruins remain.

• - Monastery of San Zoilo, crossing the Carrión River from Carrión de los Condes; great center of refuge for pilgrims: there are the tombs of the Infantes of Carrión.

• - Monastery of Santa María de las Tiendas"), century, belonging to the order of Santiago, in the town of Tiendas"). Vestiges of the church remain.[35] The current farmhouse was built with the remains of the monastery.

• - Monastery of San Benito el Real de Sahagún "Royal Monastery of San Benito (Sahagún)"), Cluniac whose monks arrived in 1080. It was the main abbey of the entire peninsular territory. It had sixty beds for pilgrims in its own Hospital.

• - Monastery of San Agustín in Mansilla de las Mulas, disappeared; Its only vestige is the Arch of San Agustín") near Peregrinos Street.

• - Samos Monastery, Benedictine, with its own refuge for high-ranking pilgrims. The common people were housed in separate houses dependent on this abbey.

• - Monastery of the Magdalena"), in Sarria, founded by two Italian clergymen of the order of Saint Augustine. It is run by Mercedarian fathers who are traditional welcomes for pilgrims. Its attached hospital was famous as a Jacobean landmark of aid to pilgrims.

• - Monastery of Santa María de Loio"), in the small Lugo town of Loio. Of hermit origin, it was restored in the century by the monk Quintilla. It was the cradle of the Knights of Santiago around 1170. Almost no vestiges remain of its primitive location.

• - Monastery of Villar de Donas"), past the place called Ligonde; it is necessary to deviate from the Camino to get here. It was originally a small monastery for women from the family of Arias de Monterroso") and in 1184 it belonged to the Order of Santiago. Currently, only the Romanesque church remains standing, which preserves paintings from the 19th century.

• - Monastery of San Martín Pinario, in Santiago de Compostela; former Benedictine monastery, current Major Seminary.

• - Caaveiro Monastery, in the Fragas del Eume.

• - Monastery of Sancti Spiritus (Mellid)&action=edit&redlink=1 "Monastery of Sancti Spiritus (Mellid) (not yet written)") located at the entrance to Mellid in front of the Hospital. Only the Romanesque church of Santa María remains), century, current parish.

• - Convent of Agustinos (Arzúa)&action=edit&redlink=1 "Convent of Agustinos (Arzúa) (not yet written)") with its own hospital, in the town of Arzúa; Its Magdalena church and part of the hospital factory are preserved.

Monasteries as royal or nobility pantheon

Many Spanish monasteries were erected from the beginning with the purpose of hosting the burials of royal families or noble knights. To this end, the promoters made large donations of land, money and men. It must be taken into account that during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance it was considered vitally important for monks to maintain in their prayers the memory of the deceased buried near them (in churches, cloisters, pantheons); and this was not only considered important for the salvation of souls but as a perpetual vanitas and reminder to future generations of how important they were. Among the great monasteries considered as royal or nobility pantheons, there are:

• - San Juan de la Peña and San Pedro el Viejo de Huesca, where the kings of Aragon are buried until the union with Catalonia. In the first there are also kings of the kingdom of Pamplona, from when the territory was Navarrese.

• - Santes Creus and Poblet, kings of the Crown of Aragon.

• - Ripoll, with the counts of Barcelona before its union with Aragon.

• - Nájera and Leyre, monasteries chosen by the dynasties of Navarra.

• - San Isidoro de León, where many of the kings of León are buried.

• - San Salvador de Oña (Burgos), converted into a county and royal pantheon in the second half of the century.

• - The Royal Strikes of Burgos, a place chosen by the Castilian monarchs.

• - Miraflores Charterhouse in Burgos, where Juan II of Castile chose his burial site and where his second wife and his son Alfonso were also buried.

• - Las Salesas de Madrid "Convento de las Salesas Reales (Madrid)"), where Ferdinand VI") (its founder) lies along with his wife Bárbara de Braganza.

• - El Escorial, considered a prototype in its funerary aspect, although it is the most modern of all. There are the pantheons of the royal families of the Austrians and the Bourbons.

• - San Román de Hornija, in Valladolid, whose origin was a Visigoth monastery founded by Chindasvinto for his own burial and that of his wife Reciberga") (or Reciwerga).

Among the monasteries with pantheons or family burials of the nobility, it is worth distinguishing:.

• - Monastery of Loeches "Monastery of the Immaculate Conception (Loeches)") with the burial of the count-duke of Olivares and his descendants the dukes of Alba. It is a side chapel.

• - San Francisco de Guadalajara, with the dukes of Infantado who build a crypt.

• - San Jerónimo de Granada "Monasterio de San Jerónimo (Granada)"), whose founder, the Great Captain, wanted to be buried there.

• - San Jerónimo de Cotalba in Alfahuir, (Valencia), where the infants Juan and Blanca de Aragón are buried.

• - Parral Monastery in Segovia, which maintains the tomb of the Marquis of Villena.

• - Monastery of Santa Paula de Seville"), with the Marquises of Montemayor.

• - Monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera, which has an important pantheon of Knights.

• - Porta Coeli Monastery "Porta Coeli Monastery (Valladolid)") in Valladolid, with the burial of its promoter and benefactor Rodrigo Calderón, valid of the Duke of Lerma.

• - Monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, where El Cid was buried, whose family was especially linked to him (his wife and daughters took refuge there during his exile). In the War of Independence it was looted by the French army and its tomb desecrated.

Decline and events that occurred in Spanish monasteries

Many of the Hispanic monasteries were abandoned, forgotten and lost, some even in historical memory. The medieval monasteries were maintained, although some suffered looting and fires, recovering from these losses with new reconstructions.

The century was decisive for the conservation of these monastic buildings. The Spanish War of Independence brought a great number of calamities, these places being chosen for quartering and supplying French troops and in some cases the churches were converted into stables or kitchens. A fire was made to warm up and cook, with the subsequent consequences. Many of the sarcophagi were desecrated in search of possible treasures or for the sole pleasure of destruction, apart from the looting and theft of works of art that comes with the special atmosphere of a war. In some cases, the destruction was consciously planned with a goal of social transformation: such was the case of the demolition of convents in Madrid[37] or the convent of San Francisco (Valladolid) "Convento de San Francisco (Valladolid)").

After a few years of peace, restoration of buildings and recovery of scattered works, the monasteries were once again involved in the vicissitudes of the Carlist Wars, due to the identification between the Carlist side and the clergy, among which the burning of convents in 1835 stood out, which included a massacre of friars. Finally, in this same century, the various confiscations ended with the heritage of most of the medieval monasteries. Many of its churches were saved because they became parishes that took on a new life. In some cases, different provincial institutions or individuals stepped up to the plate, devising museums where they could store the rescued artistic pieces, including parts of their architecture. Monastic ruins became a topic of romanticism, and poets and musicians sought inspiration in them. Noteworthy are the stays of Fryderyk Chopin and George Sand in the secularized Charterhouse of Valldemosa (Mallorca) and of the brothers Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Valeriano Domínguez Bécquer in the Cistercian Monastery of Veruela (Zaragoza).

In the last quarter of the century, with the Restoration, a political climate was more favorable to the founding of new religious orders and the restoration of old ones, and some monasteries were able to revive monastic life.

In the first third of the century, when the political and social environment was inflamed by critical situations, Spanish anticlericalism came to light again in moments such as the Tragic Week of Barcelona in 1909. In 1910, the Law of the Padlock was enacted, which prevented the establishment of new religious congregations. In 1931, shortly after the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed, a new burning of convents took place; Although much more serious were the destructions during the Spanish Civil War, with thousands of victims among the clergy.

In the last quarter of the century, both the Spanish State and private entities (Savings Banks, Associations, Boards of Trustees, etc.) became aware of the great ruinous monastic heritage that was being lost, large abandoned or poorly cared for buildings but that still kept part of their architecture standing, and the effort began to give them a meaning and utility, such as rehabilitation for museums, houses of culture, schools for foremen or farms, etc.[38].

The architectural ensemble of the Spanish monasteries

El monasterio y sus dependencias acabó de consolidarse con la orden benedictina de Cluny en época del románico, en la Alta Edad Media. Los monjes de Cluny se extendieron por toda Europa fundando los monasterios cuya estructura arquitectónica sería en adelante el ejemplo a seguir, con pequeñas variantes en algunas órdenes monacales.[39] De una manera general y teniendo siempre en cuenta las posibles diferencias, se pueden describir someramente las partes del complejo monástico español.

External signs of buildings

In many monasteries or convents, the construction of transepts or small hermitages that served as a humiliation, located in the large expanse of the garden, is usually common. So is the construction of fountains and the well that usually opens in the center or on one side of the patio.

The image of the patron saint of the corresponding order or the titular invocation of the church appears repeatedly on the walls.[40] Sometimes the original invocation of the foundation of the monastery is maintained and other times it is changed when receiving the relics of a local or foreign saint.

As sculptural decoration, there are many shields, among which are those of the corresponding monastic order, those of the kings or noble founders or sponsors, the episcopal ones (when applicable) and the arms of the city. It is also common to see figures representing the founder.

An important complement is the tower or the simple belfry "Belfry (architecture)") whose bells serve as the municipal clock. The language of bells was very important during the Middle Ages and Renaissance because in addition to representing time, it was the crier that announced events.[41].

the church

The churches of the monasteries present some features that differentiate them from those of the secular clergy, especially with regard to the choirs, sacristies and penitential cells. In everything else they follow the same rules and their space is intended for practicing the liturgy, being the center of spiritual and religious life of the communities.

They always face east, like the rest of the Christian churches (except in those cases where toponymy requires another placement). Its plan is a Latin cross, with a transept and apse or apses. They usually have three doors: the main one at the foot, which gives access to the outside, another open in one of the side walls to give way to the cloister (for exclusive use by the monks) and a third located in the transept, which leads to the sacristy.

In male monasteries there are a large number of chapels or simply altars located in small spaces, due to the obligation that the monks had to each say daily mass. However, in female monasteries this need does not exist as they have only one chaplain for the entire community. This reasoning is applicable to the sacristies, which are very spacious in male monasteries since several officiants are vested in them at the same time.

It is the place where the main altar and the altarpiece are placed (at the time when altarpieces are installed), which is usually presided over by the sculpture of the monastery's patron saint. In some, this image is located in a dressing room whose back is suitable for the visit and pilgrimage of the faithful. Such is the case of the monastery of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

In Spanish monasteries it is customary for the choir to be located in the middle of the central nave of the church, separated from the presbytery by the transept nave. It can also be located in the apse, behind the main altar, surrounding the circular wall. The choir in the center of the nave is a limited space that is usually surrounded by a fence. Inside, it is furnished with chairs that are generally of great artistic importance since their elaboration was usually commissioned from established artists. Both the backrest boards and the armrests and misericords "Mercy (support)")[42] are profusely decorated with carvings that follow iconographic programs of animal symbols, mythology, allegories, everyday scenes, etc. In the center of the choir there is a piece of furniture called a lectern that serves as a support for the large liturgical book of choral music, written in large characters so that it can be read from afar by the monks. On one side is the organ, a musical instrument par excellence.

The cloister

The medieval Spanish cloister par excellence is the Benedictine one, whose patron saint spread throughout Christian Europe. Its construction consists of four galleries called pandas, one of them attached to the south nave or north nave of the church. The eastern group is always dedicated to the chapter house and some other small dependencies. The west side generally houses the cilla "Cilla (architecture)") and the laymen's area, and the side bordering the church has the refectory, heater and kitchen and in some monasteries the room called de profundis that serves as a passage to the refectory and where the religious sing the psalm.

Infirmary, pharmacy and garden of aromatic plants

One of the clearest and most insistent ordinances of Saint Benedict was to exercise charity towards the sick and poor. For this purpose, many hospitals were created in the monastery itself or in somewhat distant spaces. Inside the monastery there was an infirmary used by the friars themselves or, occasionally, by a sick visitor. As a complement to the infirmary, apothecaries were created and to supply products to these apothecaries, gardens of aromatic plants or apothecary garden were created. The monastery was thus self-sufficient for the health chapter. In some cases it was necessary to create an even larger pharmacy that could meet the needs required by the town or village that had been formed around the monastery. This is what happened with the pharmacy of the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, which was founded in 1705 at the request of the people of Silos. It became a famous and recognized pharmacy in the region and today (2007) it is preserved quite well and is shown as a museum and as an example and study of what was a monastic pharmacy. It has the particularity of preserving the boot made in Talavera de la Reina, especially for this center, with the heraldic shield of the monastery.

There is written information about many of the aromatic gardens cultivated by the monks. In the monastery of Santa María de Matallana in the province of Valladolid, after the reconstruction of its ruins, the space that the monks had dedicated to this garden was recovered, planting the plants that were known to have been in that same place. Another important pharmacy was that of the monastery of San Julián de Samos in the province of Lugo; It is still displayed as a museum.[43].

The pharmacies were run by the specialized monks themselves. In them, all the pertinent tasks for the manufacture of medicines, ointments, and liquors, both medicinal and other types, were carried out. In many of these pharmacies, among other utensils, the stills used for distillations are preserved.

Scriptorium (desktop) and library

In the High and Late Middle Ages, culture was in the hands of the monks of the monasteries. It was there where literature and science were forged, where books were written, or manuscripts were copied, and where translations were made. Many of these high-culture monasteries had their own scriptoria, in a secluded and well-appointed area, furnished with desks, lecterns and shelves and equipped with pens, parchments, inks and different utensils necessary for writing and painting miniatures.[44] Judging by the illuminated manuscripts preserved in Catalonia, it is suspected that the number of monasteries with desks must have been abundant. The Royal Monastery of Santa María de Vallbona had an important desk from which large copies came out. His library was also very famous.

In the monastery of Montserrat there is a good library despite the vicissitudes of wars and fires, which has 400 incunabula. The space of the desk of the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Rueda in Aragón is still preserved.

Another library to take into account was that of Santa María de Huerta, in Soria, whose hall was built in the 19th century and decorated in the 19th century. In the monastery of Valvanera, its rich library still survives, where documents are preserved that speak of a copy that existed of the Valvanera Polyglot Bible; Felipe II took him to El Escorial and there he disappeared in a fire. In Galicia, the famous monastery of San Julián de Samos had a large library that burned in a fire at the end of the century. The El Escorial library is also famous and abundant.

Cemetery for monks

Generally the monks were buried in the pandas of the cloisters where a crypt was built. Cistercian monks were buried directly in the ground (without a coffin) and face down. The abbots were buried in the chapter house.

Other dependencies

One of the most important areas in a monastery is the garden, whether large or small. It is the supply for subsistence, so it was treated with great care. The large monasteries had huge gardens with all kinds of facilities, such as fountains, canals and waterwheels. In some convents of minor orders, small hermitages or oratories used to be built where monks went at times to do penance and spiritual retreat.

Sometimes guesthouses were built outside the closure area. As time went by and with the increasing authority of the abbot, it was customary to build his house separately, a place where he received important visitors.

In the great monasteries there was not only supplies for subsistence but for a powerful economy; There were workshops of all kinds, forges, mills, potteries, winepresses, etc.

Heritage

Despite the great vicissitudes suffered by the Spanish monasteries (fires, thefts, looting, confiscations, apathy) a large heritage of movable art is still preserved.[45].

From their origins, the foundations of the monasteries tried to make the house as austere as possible, without admitting external signs of wealth. But maintaining this criterion was practically impossible due to the will of the lay founders, sponsors and donors who considered their gifts as something very special that would demonstrate their position in society, their power, or simply their good taste. On the other hand, the burials chosen by these characters already constituted in themselves a demonstration of luxury and artistic value. For all this, the monasteries accumulated over the centuries a rich heritage in works of art, ostentation from which not even the Carthusian order, considered the most strict and harsh, could not escape.[46]

In the Renaissance and Baroque era, the large altarpieces in the main chapels and smaller ones in other chapels were built, following the new concept of post-Counter-Reformation liturgical life. Thus, altarpieces arose such as that of the sculptor Damián Forment in the monastery of Poblet, which resulted from such a high expense that it led to the revolt of its monks against the abbot. 2007) in the National Museum of Sculpture "Museo Nacional de Escultura (Valladolid)") of this city.

The sacristies were especially enriched not only with the necessary furniture but with ornaments of works by famous painters, usually surrounded by valuable frames. Paintings that the kings or the nobility commissioned from their favorite painters were also hung on the walls of churches or cloisters or on the stairs and corridors of buildings to enrich their patronage.[48].

There are still numerous liturgical pieces, great works of goldsmithing, which are kept in many monasteries displayed in showcases, as well as the textile elements of suits, chasubles and other vestments. Some monasteries are in themselves a true museum of works of art, as is the case with the Descalzas Reales of Madrid "Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (Madrid)"). Others have opened within their walls (taking advantage of old rooms) a museum where they can place lost and recovered pieces; Such is the case of Poblet, whose museum occupies the area that was the Palace of King Martin the Human in Poblet. As for the treasure involved in the conservation of valuable books, a reference is already made in the Libraries section.

Some notable monasteries

Algunos monasterios tienen una historia especialmente destacable o simplemente curiosa. La corta relación que se hace aquí no implica que estos monasterios sean los mejores o los más importantes sino simplemente que tienen en su historia algo diferente que ofrecer.

Monastery of San Benito el Real de Sahagún

It had such importance and such power that it has come to be called the Spanish Cluny. It was the most powerful and arrogant Benedictine monastery of the Middle Ages in the Kingdom of León. Protected and promoted by King Alfonso VI who, among other privileges, granted it the status of preserve, also protected by Doña Urraca who gave it the right to mint its own currency and favored by King Alfonso VII who donated the Jews of the town as vassals. His heritage ended up covering part of the current provinces of León, Valladolid, Palencia, Zamora and Cantabria, thus having an enormous number of vassals under his jurisdiction, much more numerous than those of some main people of the time. From a religious point of view, Sahagún was the center where the new Roman liturgy was officially implemented for the first time (at the request of Pope Gregory VII), replacing the old Hispanic Mozarabic rite.[49] Father Sandoval and Father Yepes[50] go so far as to list up to 60 monasteries and a large number of churches that depended on Sahagún. In addition, its influence reached from Toledo to Cantabria and from La Rioja to Galicia.

Monastery of San Benito el Real of Valladolid

Its foundation in 1389 marked a new reform of the Benedictine order under the royal protection of John I and the blessing of Pope Clement VII "Clement VII (antipope)"), since relaxation had once again taken hold in the customs of the black monks who, forgetting the strict rule of Saint Benedict, even slept outside the monasteries. Here an exemplary religious life was established subject to the rule of Saint Benedict. The cloister was the characteristic of this monastery, not only from the spiritual point of view but also physically, since double bars were installed in the openings. From the beginning, perpetual abstinence, daily fasting, severity in habits and rooms, generosity with those most in need when sharing food, money and firewood were established with harshness and authority. The example of this Valladolid monastery soon spread throughout the century and under the reform, several Benedictine monasteries became dependent on this Valladolid monastery, to such an extent that the Congregation of San Benito de Valladolid emerged, after the bull of Pope Alexander VI. For this purpose there were a large number of general chapters in which the relevant Constitutions were drafted.

Poblet Monastery

Foundation of the Count of Barcelona Ramón Berenguer IV. It was part of the four great Cistercian abbeys of Christendom along with Clairvaux (in the Absinthe Valley, France), the Great Forest (in Languedoc), and Fontfreda (near Narbonne). In 1340 Peter the Ceremonious ordered the creation of the royal and noble pantheon, which became an important burial center. The abbots of Poblet became very powerful, forming part of the ecclesiastical establishment that had power in the Cortes Generales. There was some abbot who even became president of the Generalitat. The intervention of these abbots in the Catalan wars became evident.

Monastery of La Rábida

It is a Franciscan monastery in the municipality of Palos de la Frontera, in the province of Huelva. This was an important place in the history of Spain because in its closure the long conversations took place between the friars Fray Antonio de Marchena and Fray Juan Pérez y Colón during the four visits he made. The friars helped and supported Columbus before the Catholic Monarchs. It is located on the route called Columbian Places.[51].

Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla

In this small and humble monastery, the annotations or glosses called Glosas Emilianenses were written for the first time, written in Romance (a Spanish that has not yet evolved with respect to Latin) and two or three in Basque, which is why it has been considered the cradle of these languages.

Guadalupe Monastery

It had a famous scriptorium that gave rise to a series of miniaturized books, many of which are preserved in the monastery museum. It is of interest to highlight the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, to whom considerable devotion has been held since the Middle Ages and which was transferred by the Extremaduran discoverers to American lands. Especially in Mexico he enjoys great veneration.

The monastery is a place of pilgrimage and historical figures are known to have passed through it as pilgrims: Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, King Sebastian of Portugal, Teresa de Jesús, Lope de Vega and Pope John Paul II (in 1982).

Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana

Founded in the century in the Cantabrian region of Liébana, it has housed a relic of the Lignum Crucis (supposedly the largest preserved fragment) since the century. At that same time, the monk Beato de Liébana wrote two works of great significance: the Commentaries on the Apocalypse (of which several invaluable copies with illustrations are preserved) and the refutation of the adoptionist heresy that had spread among the Mozarabic Christians under Muslim occupation (Bishop Elipando of Toledo). A jubilee or Lebaniego Holy Year is celebrated periodically.

Monastery of San Salvador de Tábara

It was a dual monastery of monks and nuns, of Visigoth tradition, founded by Abbot Froila, under the patronage of Alfonso III and located 43 km northeast of Zamora. The excavations of the tower brought to light two columns and an arch that gave access to the lower room of said tower. In this tower was the scriptorium where the monk Emeterio&action=edit&redlink=1 "Emeterio (monk) (not yet written)") finished illuminating with miniatures the Beato de Tábara, initiated by his teacher Magio. Emeterio himself writes the following consideration:

This comment, together with a drawing showing the work place in the tower, has been highly valued for giving a very good idea of what said work was like in the monasteries.

El Palancar Monastery

Founded by San Pedro de Alcántara in Pedroso de Acim (province of Cáceres) in 1557, it was considered the smallest in the world. Later expanded, the original area is preserved with the name el conventico. In a tiny space, several pieces were built: a chapel for services where only the officiant and an acolyte could fit, and the founder's cell attached,[54] which Saint Teresa of Jesus describes in this way:

Monastery of El Parral

The monastery of Santa María del Parral is a cloistered monastery of the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome located in the city of Segovia, capital of the province of the same name in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. The El Parral monastery is located outside the city walls and maintains the use for which it was created, belonging from its origin to the present day to the Hieronymite monks.

The different buildings that make up the monastic complex are distributed around several cloisters in Gothic, Mudejar and Plateresque styles. King Henry IV of Castile ordered it to be built in 1447. The monastery of Santa María del Parral, together with the Dominican convent of Santa Cruz and the Franciscan convent of San Francisco, of which the cloister remains, makes up the trilogy of top-quality architecture in Segovia in the 19th century.[56].

Monastery of El Escorial

Conceived not only as a monastery but as a royal residence and as a pantheon of kings of the houses of Austria and Bourbon. It is a world-famous and admired monastery. Its Herrerian architecture represented a revolution in Spanish art. It preserves great treasures and its library and art gallery are considered spaces with very rich and valuable collections.

Monastery of the Valley of the Fallen

Located in the Guadarrama mountain range of Madrid, it had a great social impact in the years of its construction, not only because of the immense proportion of the work but also because of its construction[57] and the destination that was going to be given to the burial part.[58].

References

[1] ↑ La historiografía moderna, con el profesor Isidro Bango Torviso como principal promotor prefiere llamar a este arte arte de repoblación.
[2] ↑ Monasterio y convento es lo mismo desde un punto de vista de vida en comunidad dentro de un complejo especial. Se suele llamar convento a los monasterios que están ubicados dentro de las ciudades y monasterio a los que se encuentran en plena naturaleza, pero no siempre coincide esta definición con la realidad.
[3] ↑ En la isla de Mallorca existen cuatro monasterios importantes y uno en Menorca.
[4] ↑ Artemio Martínez Tejera: La "Tebaida berciana" en tiempos de San Fructuoso, en Argutorio, 1º 2004.: http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/fichero_articulo?codigo=2379962&orden=0
[5] ↑ Luis García Moreno Las invasiones y la época visigoda, PG. 398 de Historia de España Tuñón de Lara (ed). Barcelona: Labor, 1981 ISBN 84-335-9433-8.
[6] ↑ Tal es el caso del Convento e San Agustín en la ciudad riojana de Haro, convertido desde 1989 en hotel de lujo.
[7] ↑ Pastor, Reyna (et. al), (1998) Transacciones sin mercado: Instituciones, propiedad y redes sociales en la Galicia monástica Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; amplia reseña.: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32221190_ITM
[8] ↑ Los monasterios de Moreruela en Zamora y Poblet en Tarragona fueron los primeros en construirse.
[9] ↑ En el documento fundacional de la cartuja de Champmol, el duque Felipe II de Borgoña hace constar: Para la salvación de las almas no hay nada mejor que las oraciones de los píos monjes, quienes por amor a Dios eligen libremente la pobreza y huyen de todas las nimiedades y alegrías del mundo […] dado que los cartujos rezan continuamente día y noche por la salvación de las almas […].
[10] ↑ Juan Antonio Sánchez Belén Los eclesiásticos: un medio de vida.: https://web.archive.org/web/20080124151657/http://www.artehistoria.jcyl.es/histesp/contextos/6624.htm
[11] ↑ Está ubicado en los Montes de Oca, en la provincia de Burgos.
[12] ↑ Se denomina dúplice al monasterio que alberga una comunidad masculina y otra femenina.
[13] ↑ Biografía de Gesaelico (sic) Archivado el 4 de febrero de 2008 en Wayback Machine.. En 512, siendo todavía abad San Victoriano o Victorián, ingresó en él San Gaudioso, quien salió luego para Tarazona (527), fundando allí otro monasterio.: http://www.socialesweb.com/conceptos/conceptos/Gesaleico.htm
[14] ↑
[15] ↑ La del primero dedicada a su también hermana Florentina de Cartagena (que podría ser una regla femenina o quizá un simple elogio de la virginidad), y la del segundo para el monasterio honoriacense (Regula Monachorum). Con anterioridad se seguían las dispersas instrucciones, interpretadas según la tradición local, de textos ascéticos como los de San Pacomio, Casiano, San Basilio, San Agustín y San Jerónimo. Llegó a haber al menos otras tres reglas (la Regla del Maestro, identificada a veces con la de San Juan de Biclaro, la denominada Regula Communis -regla común o regla de los abades- y la Consensoria Monachorum). José Moreno Núñez op. cit.
[16] ↑ La claustra está todavía muy lejos de referirse al claustro benedictino por excelencia. La claustra es un espacio cerrado que alberga la clausura e intimidad de los monjes.
[17] ↑ El monje Genadio recorrió los valles del Bierzo (provincia de León) buscando los lugares donde San Fructuoso había fundado algunos monasterios. Localizó algunas de estas fundaciones y las recuperó con nuevas comunidades, aprovechando para la reconstrucción de los edificios cuantos elementos arquitectónicos habían quedado en pie: aras de altar, columnas, capiteles, etc.
[18] ↑ Antiguos cristianos hispano-visigodos que se refugiaron en tierras norteñas.
[19] ↑ Cataluña había quedado yerma y devastada. Los documentos hablan de una primera etapa de colonizadores mozárabes llegados del sur en la época de Carlomagno. Estos colonizadores serían los llamados primi homines, con derecho de aprisione que llegaron a ser propietarios de las tierras que más tarde cultivarían.
[20] ↑ Cada una de las piedras que forman la mampostería.
[21] ↑ Estas bóvedas fueron reiteradamente ensayadas en la mezquita de Córdoba y desde allí se inició su difusión.
[22] ↑ Lo cierto es que se ha conservado muy poca escultura y por tanto no se puede hacer un juicio muy exacto.
[23] ↑ En San Miguel de Escalada (León) se conservan dos de estas piezas.
[24] ↑ Historiadores como Isidro Bango Torviso insisten en que los criterios de belleza a partir del siglo XIX crearon una confusión al respecto. Se negó el color a toda arquitectura anterior al Renacimiento, cuando en realidad los arquitectos medievales siguieron la tradición de la Antigüedad que consistía en un acabado de pintura, ya fuera de color uniforme o de varios colores, o relatando historias o adornando con figuras geométricas o vegetales. Bango Torviso, Historia del Arte de Castilla y León , tomo I. Prehistoria, Edad Antigua, y Arte Prerrománico. (Sección Arquitectura de repoblación). Editorial Ámbito, Valladolid 1994. ISBN 84-8183-001-1.
[25] ↑ El monasterio benedictino de Sahagún (León), a instancias del rey, financió en gran medida las obras y otras necesidades de Cluny en Francia.
[26] ↑ La escasez de documentación y la falta de noticias precisas se ha prestado a toda clase de interpretaciones sobre la fecha en que los monjes de Moreruela abrazaron la reforma del Císter. (Cayetano Enríquez de Salamanca, Rutas del románico en la provincia de Zamora).
[27] ↑ Esta variedad se dio sobre todo en Galicia y Asturias: San Francisco de Vivero; santo Domingo de Pontevedra.
[28] ↑ Esta variedad se encuentra muy extendida por Cataluña, Valencia, Mallorca y Aragón: San Francisco y Santo Domingo de Barcelona, de Teruel, de Palma de Mallorca, etc.
[29] ↑ Para su estudio hay que remitirse a San Francisco de Palencia y Santa María de Nieva cuyas fábricas han resistido completas el paso de los siglos.
[30] ↑ Ver http://www.arquired.es/users/mrgreyes/ermita/monacato/mon-art-02.htm#communis Archivado el 7 de abril de 2010 en Wayback Machine.: http://www.arquired.es/users/mrgreyes/ermita/monacato/mon-art-02.htm#communis
[31] ↑ Eran monjas benedictinas, llamadas así por usar en su vestimenta unas tocas negras.
[32] ↑ Hay que tener en cuenta que en este contexto la palabra hospital u hospedería significa albergue o refugio de peregrinos, donde además se ofrecía también la ayuda médica necesaria.
[33] ↑ La orden de los antonianos se ha especializado desde el principio en la atención y cuidado de enfermos con dolencias contagiosas: peste, lepra, sarna, venéreas y sobre todo el ergotismo, llamado también fuego de San Antón o fuego sacro o culebrilla. Por eso se establecieron siempre en las afueras de los lugares del Camino de Santiago.
[34] ↑ Aquí [1] Archivado el 27 de marzo de 2010 en Wayback Machine. se puede ver una foto sobre esta curiosidad.: http://www.deviajes.es/guia/RUINAS_DEL_CONVENTO_DE_SAN_ANTON_1.html
[35] ↑ El retablo renacentista de esta iglesia se conserva en la parroquia de San Martín en Calzadilla de la Cueza.
[36] ↑ El monasterio–palacio ha sido ampliamente estudiado por el profesor Chueca Goitia.
[37] ↑ En la corte de José I Bonaparte, el rey impuesto por la ocupación francesa, recibió el mote popular de el rey plazuelas, por los espacios abiertos en la trama urbana del centro de Madrid, aún visibles hoy e identificables por los nombres de los conventos desaparecidos: plazas de Santa Ana, de San Bernardo, de Mostenses, de San Martín, etc. (otras tienen hoy otro nombre: la de las Cortes, la de Ramales, la de Tirso de Molina y las de Oriente y Ópera, en el gran espacio abierto ante el Palacio Real donde entre otros edificios estaba el Convento de San Gil).
[38] ↑ Para estas grandes obras de recuperación fue de gran ayuda la aportación económica de la Comunidad Europea.
[39] ↑ Los monasterios cartujos difieren bastante en la colocación y uso de sus dependencias más importantes: iglesia, claustro, y dormitorio.
[40] ↑ En el cister y en la cartuja esta advocación es siempre de la Virgen María.
[41] ↑ Esta importancia del reloj subsistió hasta el siglo XIX. El reloj público de las torres suponía un elemento social muy necesario.
[42] ↑ Se llama misericordia en la sillería de un coro a una pequeña ménsula instalada bajo el asiento y que queda a la vista cuando éste se levanta. Los monjes pasan largas horas cantando de pie y al apoyarse, o medio sentarse en estas ménsulas, se les hace más llevadero el cansancio.
[43] ↑ Para ampliar este tema consultar Boticas monacales y medicina naturista en Galicia de Hipólito de Sa Bravo. Editorial Everest. ISBN 84-241-2112-0.
[44] ↑ Véase la sección Monasterio de San Salvador de Tábara.
[45] ↑ Se habla desde la perspectiva del año 2007.
[46] ↑ Un buen ejemplo se da en la Cartuja de Miraflores (Burgos) donde, por voluntad de la reina Isabel la Católica se construyó un conjunto funerario labrado por el escultor Gil de Siloé que constituye una gran y ostentosa obra de arte.
[47] ↑ En efecto se estipuló un precio de 4060 ducados de oro, de los cuales 960 nunca llegó a cobrar. La comunidad se negó a seguir pagando los plazos que parecían excesivos, acusando al escultor de haber engañado al abad en el precio y de haberle sobornado con algunos regalos escultóricos. Los monjes se sublevaron contra el abad y le condenaron a reclusión perpetua con los cargos de dilapidación y falta de observancia.
[48] ↑ En el convento de santa Ana de Valladolid la iglesia muestra tres grandes lienzos de Goya y otros tres de su cuñado Bayeu, encargo que hizo el rey Carlos III. Véase también: Convento de las Descalzas Reales (Valladolid) # Colección, restauración y exposición de lienzos.
[49] ↑ En 1080 convocó un concilio general de sus reinos en Burgos, y declaró oficialmente la abolición de la liturgia hispánica y su substitución por la romana.
[50] ↑ Historiadores del siglo XVI y XVII respectivamente.
[51] ↑ «DECRETO 553/ 1967, de 2 de marzo, por el que se declara conjunto histórico-artístico el sector dénominado «Lugares Colombinos», en la provincia de Huelva». Boletín Oficial del Estado (69). Madrid. 22 de marzo de 1967. pp. 3941-3942.: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1967/03/22/pdfs/A03941-03942.pdf
[52] ↑ Pluma de ave para escribir.
[53] ↑ Fecha del 26 de julio de 970 a las 2h de la tarde.
[54] ↑ Monasterio de El Palancar. Pedroso de Acim (Cáceres). El convento más pequeño del mundo.: https://web.archive.org/web/20080124030237/http://www.revistaiberica.com/Rutas_Y_Destinos/extr/palancar/index.htm
[55] ↑ Citado en Lecturas espirituales de la Iglesia: 19 de octubre, San Pedro de Alcántara.: https://web.archive.org/web/20091228224211/http://www.gratisdate.org/Lecturas-web/LH-3-Santos-Indice.pdf
[56] ↑ «El parral, historia y arte». Archivado desde el original el 15 de enero de 2015. Consultado el 17 de marzo de 2015.: https://web.archive.org/web/20150115011340/http://www3.planalfa.es/msmparral/parral/historia.htm
[57] ↑ Fueron muy controvertidos los rumores que se difundieron sobre la procedencia de los obreros; se decía que eran presos políticos a los que se había ofrecido una reducción de condena a cambio de los trabajos.
[58] ↑ Se rumoreaba que serían enterrados tan solo caídos pertenecientes al bando de los vencedores.
[59] ↑ A esto se dedica la comunidad de Vallbona de les Monges.
[60] ↑ En Monasterios de España de Antonio Arradillas y José María Iñigo, ISBN 84-288-1381-7, se da la relación de todos estos monasterios con una breve historia de los mismos y una pequeña descripción de los edificios.

Characteristics and evolution of the monastery in Spain

Contenido

La primera referencia a un monasterio en España la hace San Agustín en 398 en una carta dirigida al abad del Monasterio de Cabrera"). En 410, el monje Baquiario utilizó por primera vez la palabra monasterio en un texto escrito en Hispania. Él como monje y Egeria "Egeria (monja)") o Eteria como monja (quizá más propiamente una virgen consagrada) serían los primeros monjes hispanos de nombre conocido.

Los primeros monasterios surgieron en el siglo y fueron humildes edificaciones levantadas a la sombra de santuarios o de enterramientos de mártires locales muy queridos. Muchos de estos monasterios eran trogloditas, pues los ermitaños o eremitas (los primeros monjes) preferían vivir en cuevas que habilitaban como alojamiento u oratorio. Tal es el origen del monasterio de San Millán de la Cogolla, que conserva tanto las grutas donde habitó el santo Aemilianus "Millán (santo)") o Millán "Millán (santo)") como la que sirvió de oratorio. En las cuevas del entorno habitaban sus discípulos. La práctica de vivir el alejamiento del mundo en soledad fue transformándose por la agrupación de monjes en cenobios, que aunque vivieran en comunidad, mantenían sus prácticas ascéticas, y la localización en un lugar despoblado (en desierto).

El éxito cuantitativo del monacato en la época visigótica llevó a no pocos enfrentamientos con el clero secular, y sus disputas llegaron hasta los Concilios de Toledo. Buena parte de ello provenía de las ventajas sociales y económicas que proporcionaban los privilegios de la vida monástica. En algunos casos, como en la zona de El Bierzo se crearon monasterios que acogían a familias enteras como Compludo y el Monasterium Ruphianensi"), que fueron fundaciones de Fructuoso (y se han llegado a llamar la Tebaida berciana), que tenían más bien el aspecto de verdaderas aldeas. En otras zonas, como la Bética, no hubo monasterios mixtos y se separaron por sexos.[4] Algunas fuentes también atribuyen a los rasgos más extremos del movimiento eremítico, sobre todo en zonas como Burgos, Álava y Logroño, rasgos de protesta social, en paralelismo con otros movimientos religiosos como la herejía priscilianista, que pervivió en algunas zonas (Galicia) hasta el siglo .[5].

En los siglos siguientes surgieron los monasterios hispanos y los monasterios de repoblación, con sus características propias dentro de una necesidad y un arte puramente hispano. Con el románico y la llegada de los monjes de Cluny (siglo ), de la orden de San Benito y observadores de su regla, el conjunto monástico tomó nueva forma y se hizo mucho más importante e influyente. Apareció el claustro por antonomasia y los edificios que se levantaron fueron de grandes proporciones. Muchos de estos conjuntos han llegado hasta nuestros días (año 2007) en mejor o peor estado, aunque muchos de ellos sirvan para otros usos ajenos al monacato.[6] El papel político de los cluniacenses y su vinculación con las monarquías y las casas nobles fue decisivo para la europeización de los reinos cristianos peninsulares y la conformación de la sociedad feudal. En cuanto al papel social y económico de los monasterios benedictinos, las interpretaciones materialistas clásicas -para las que serían un señor feudal más- están siendo matizadas por la historiografía más reciente, que estudia muchos más aspectos, como su inclusión en redes clientelares "Cliente (Roma antigua)") más complejas y sus funciones de todo tipo (ideológico, jurídico, institucional ...), con ayuda de la metodología de la antropología cultural y la microhistoria.[7].

Tras el impulso de Cluny llegaron los cistercienses con nuevas fábricas[8] y sus reformas, así como los cartujos, y en el siglo los franciscanos y dominicos, a los que se añadirían los premostratenses y jesuitas. De todos ellos se conservan bastantes muestras monacales. Durante los siglos y fueron muy numerosos los monasterios y conventos femeninos.

Los últimos monasterios fundados y construidos en España fueron:.

• - Monasterio de Santa María de Viaceli") (Cóbreces, Cantabria), impulsado y patrocinado por los hermanos Manuel y Antonio Bernaldo de Quirós y Pomar") como fundación cisterciense en 1909.

• - Monasterio femenino de San Lorenzo") en Oñate, Guipúzcoa, en 1928.

• - Monasterio del Valle de los Caídos (abadía de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos), 1940-1958, bajo proyecto de Pedro Muguruza y Diego Méndez "Diego Méndez (arquitecto)").

• - Casa de Espiritualidad de los Padres Dominicos") (Caleruega, Burgos), 1952.

• - Monasterio del Rollo (o monasterio de la Purísima Concepción "Monasterio de la Purísima Concepción (Salamanca)")), en Salamanca 1961, cuyo autor fue el arquitecto Antonio Fernández Alba.

• - Monasterio de Santa María de las Escalonias (Hornachuelos, Córdoba "Provincia de Córdoba (Argentina)")), 1986.

Foundations

The first Spanish monasteries

Morphologically, in Hispanic monasteries two concepts are clearly distinguished:

• - Closing of the complex, which is called claustra[16].

• - Cloistered rooms, called domus.

Repopulation monasteries

Many of these constructions will take advantage of old religious buildings from the Visigoth period and also mosques, especially in Aragon first and, later, Andalusia.

Almost all buildings from this period have quite a bit in common, so a generalized description of the construction elements and ornamentation can be made.

Cluny in Spain

In Catalonia, Abbot Oliba had a great relationship with the abbey of Cluny, but it was no more than a spiritual relationship without legal ties of any kind. Through this abbot, King Sancho III of Navarre established relations with the abbot San Odilón of Cluny and one of the immediate consequences was to place an abbot from Cluny in charge of the monastery of San Juan de la Peña in the year 1028. From that event, the Cluniac influence spread through the monasteries that were in the domains of Sancho III. The spiritual link and relationship with the Abbey of Cluny continues with the descendants of Sancho III until reaching the reign of King Alfonso VI with whom the relationship goes from being purely spiritual and sympathetic to also having strong economic ties[25] and great political and religious influence. The Sahagún monastery in León was of great importance and authority, the greatest propagator of the Cluniac observance in the peninsula. Alfonso VI made it the center of Cluny on the peninsula and became its protector. It was called “The Spanish Cluny”, being the most powerful abbey in the kingdoms of León and Castile, on which nearly 100 monasteries depended. She owned lands that went from the Cantabrian Sea to the Duero River. Regarding its cultural aspect, it was the most important center of what is now Spain during the centuries and .

The Cistercian in Spain

The Monastery of Santa María la Real de Fitero was the first Cistercian enclave in the territory of the Iberian Peninsula, founded in 1140 by Raimundo de Fitero (also founder of the Order of Calatrava in 1158) during the reign of Alfonso VII, followed by that of Santa María de Sobrado, 1142, (in Sobrado dos Monxes, La Coruña) and by the monastery of Poblet (1150). in Catalan lands, sponsored by Count Ramón Berenguer IV of Barcelona and which was part of the large group of Cistercian abbeys made up of Clairvaux (in the Absinthe valley, France), the Great Selva (in Languedoc), Fontfreda (near Narbonne) and Poblet. The first female monastery was that of Santa María de la Caridad "Monastery of Santa María de la Caridad (Tulebras)") in Tulebras (Navarra). From this monastery the founding nuns of the monasteries of Perales (Palencia), Gradefes"), Cañas (La Rioja), Trasobares in Zaragoza, Vallbona in Lérida and Las Huelgas in Burgos left. The Cistercian monasteries, both female and male, multiplied throughout the entire geography of the peninsula.

Monasteries of the mendicant orders

Duplex monasteries

Duplex monasteries were those constituted jointly by female and male communities; In the Early Middle Ages they achieved great importance. These monasteries had their origin in family homes converted into monasteries when entire families decided to adhere to religious rules and form a monastic community whose members spent the rest of their days without leaving their homes. It was a kind of exalted fashion and over time they came to commit such faults and excesses that on multiple occasions they received serious warnings and scoldings from the religious authorities. A text called Regula Communis[30] was even written especially for this type of monasteries. This reforming rule also made very clear the architectural aspect that they should have: all spaces had to be double so that the female community was separated from the male one; They could only share the chapter house, but they still had to occupy separate spaces. As for the bedrooms, they were not only ordered to be separated but also far away from each other.

At one point these monasteries became officially suppressed, but even so, in the 19th century, the so-called Tuquinegra nuns[31] lived in their monasteries with a large number of male monks who were supposed to protect them and who were known by the name milites. The buildings of these monasteries are not preserved, but some of their churches are.

Monasteries of the military orders

The Military Orders built their own monasteries that served at the same time as a defensive fortress. They followed a monastic rule and the rooms of the house were like those of other monasteries. A good reference of this type of monastery is in Calatrava la Nueva, headquarters of the Order of Calatrava founded by the abbot of Fitero "Monasterio de Santa María la Real (Fitero)") called Raimundo, at the request of King Sancho III of Castile, to protect the area recovered from the Muslims. Some Orders such as those of Santiago, the Temple and the Holy Sepulcher dedicated a large part of their efforts to protecting and caring for the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.

The Monastery of Uclés (current province of Cuenca) was the central house of the Order of Santiago since 1174.

The Castle of Montesa (current province of Valencia) belonged to the Aragonese Order of Montesa.

The Conventual of San Benito de Alcántara") was part of the Order of Alcántara.

The Ponferrada Castle of the Order of the Temple.

The monastery on the Camino de Santiago

• - San Juan de la Peña. Pantheon of Aragonese and Navarrese kings.

• - Monastery of Leyre, Benedictine, driving force of the Reconquest and refuge of Navarrese kings and bishops. It has an attached guesthouse for pilgrims.

• - Convent of Santo Domingo (Estella) "Convent of Santo Domingo (Estella)"), founded by Teobaldo II of Navarra in 1259.

• - Monastery of Cañas (homeland of Santo Domingo de Silos). Female Cistercian abbey founded in 1170.

Palaces in the monasteries

The royal palace within this institution is one of the characteristics of the Spanish monastery.[36].

Sometimes already built palaces were converted into monasteries by royal will. Such is the case of Tordesillas, Miraflores and Paular. In other examples, it happens that the monastery offers a palatial residence to the king or the nobility in times when they are forced to travel for matters related to the Reconquista itself or due to the specific fact of the itinerancy of the Castilian and Aragonese courts. In some monasteries this palatial residence becomes stable, so a new building is built within the enclosure, as occurs in the monasteries of Poblet, Carracedo or Yuste. The monastery of El Escorial was conceived from the beginning with a specific architecture to shelter the monks and the king and his court.