Lecture series “The power of the past. 150 years of Archaeology in Spain”.
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On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the Premonstratensian monastery of Aguilar de Campoo (Palencia), the Santa María la Real Foundation is giving a conference on the past, present and future of this exceptional testimony of our cultural heritage. During the conference, given by the director of the institution, Juan Carlos Prieto, and the director of the Centro de Estudios del Románico, Jaime Nuño, the evolution of the monastery over the last four decades and the cultural activities that are currently being organised to generate development in the area will be explained to the audience.
The castellated churches present a very singular typology, we can distinguish two large groups, those that arose as churches and were later fortified, or, in the opposite case, towers or castles on which churches were attached. It is essential to recognise the construction sequence in castellated churches in order to understand their reality. In the case in question, the scarcity of documents, as well as the changes in its structure, related to the different uses of the castle and the tastes of the time, make the task of reaching precise conclusions notoriously complicated, although at present we can shed some light on the historiography surrounding the Church of San Miguel Arcángel and, therefore, the Castle of Turégano.
Yolanda Peña Cervantes, PhD in archaeology and specialist in the study of production processes and the spaces used for the production of wine and oil, will present at the MAN her research on the archaeology of wine in the Late Antique and Medieval periods. She will analyse the production processes of this product on the basis of the available archaeological evidence, as well as its consumption patterns in this historical period, without forgetting its transcendental symbolic importance for Christianity.
Study of the fortress has revealed its importance as one of the oldest and most important Christian fortifications in Europe. Built around the year 930 by King Ramiro II of León, it served as a frontier for Christianity against the power of the Caliphate of Córdoba. The complex evolutionary process of its construction, the extraordinary constructive qualities of Ramiro and the exceptional nature and technological sophistication of its defence arrow slits are some of the elements on which the current proposals for study and recovery contained in the Master Plan are based.
Juan Manuel Rojas, archaeologist in charge of the latest excavation campaigns at Guarrazar (Guadamur, Toledo), will present at the MAN the recent developments at the site, where the famous Visigothic Treasure was found and is on display in room 23 of the Museum.
This conference will give an overview of the objectives with which the project Guarrazar: Archaeology and new resources was born in 2012, and how it has developed until 2015. As the title says, in the two years and four months that have passed since the first excavations began, not only have there been a series of interesting archaeological discoveries, which point to the existence of a monastic-palace complex from the Visigothic period, but also spaces of environmental interest are being recovered and a programme of dissemination of the rich heritage of Guarrazar has been launched. This programme consists of opening the site to the public by means of guided tours, educational activities, cultural events, etc., through which it is intended to make the Project sustainable.
The complex process of construction and evolution of the image of the Apostle James in European art from the early Middle Ages to the present day is one of the most fascinating chapters in the analysis of hagiographic iconography. This is not so much because of its eschatological depth, but because of the thaumaturgical and inspirational power of the fisherman, brother of John the Evangelist, member of Jesus’ close circle and evangeliser of Hispania. Driven by the extraordinary boom in pilgrimages after the invention of his tomb at the beginning of the 9th century, the three iconographic types spread throughout Europe: apostle, warrior – Miles Christi, champion of the Christian kingdoms against Muslim domination and later patron saint of these kingdoms – and pilgrim. And together with his image, significant symbols in themselves, such as the scallop.
Debate by a group of specialists on the astrolabes made in al-Andalus and in the Hispanic medieval kingdoms as a paradigmatic example of symbiosis between art and science.
The central theme will be two recently published books: “Astrolabios en al-Andalus y los reinos medievales hispanos” and “Catálogo razonado de los astrolabios de la España medieval” by Azucena Hernández Pérez, who will be accompanied by science historians David A. King (Univ. Frankfurt) and Julio Samsó (Univ. Barcelona) and art historians Susana Calvo, Javier Martínez de Aguirre and Juan Carlos Ruiz Souza, all from the Complutense University of Madrid.
The multiple dimensions of the astrolabe will be highlighted: scientific, cultural, symbolic and artistic, emphasising the connections between the astrolabes, the architectural spaces “of knowledge” and the cultural reality in which Andalusian production and that of the Hispanic Christian kingdoms intertwined and which, in the books mentioned, dialogue and meet again. Aspects such as the manufacture of an astrolabe, from its conception and design to its materialisation, or the presence of the astrolabe in madrasas, mosques, monasteries and universities, will also be dealt with.
The liturgy permeated the life of medieval Christians, making its presence felt on a daily basis in all spheres of their existence. This ritual component of medieval religiosity has survived to the present day either through the numerous written sources we have preserved or through the meanings of some of the pieces exhibited in museums today (such as objects, ornaments, books or iconographic scenes in other works of art). The interpretative possibilities of the ritual past of the Middle Ages offered by some of these works exhibited today are enormously broad: from bringing the general public closer to the Christian cultic dimension of a thousand years ago, to making possible new scientific paradigms for researchers in ritual studies. Based on the analysis of some paradigmatic cases of national and international institutions, we propose an approach to the ritual culture of medieval Christianity centred on the medieval objects that are preserved and exhibited to the public.
As part of Science Week, the MAN’s Department of Medieval Antiquities proposes to show how the development of technology and science had a positive impact on everyday life in the Middle Ages and favoured greater social equality. In this historical period, especially in al-Andalus, a series of innovations were introduced with interlinked effects: new means of water management, such as the waterwheel with arcaduces, had an impact on the production of paper, a technique imported to the Peninsula at this time. This, in turn, brought about a real revolution in written and scientific culture, contributing to the development of medicine and pharmacopoeia.
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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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