San Xes de Francelos
San Xes de Francelos ( Galician ) or San Ginés de Francelos ( Castilian ) is a pre-Romanesque church that dates back to the 9th / 10th centuries. Century is dated. It belongs to the Parroquia Francelos of the municipality of Ribadavia and is located in the autonomous Spanish region of Galicia near the Miño River , about 35 km west of Orense . The church shows stylistic elements from the Visigothic , Mozarabic and pre-Romanesque architecture of Asturias . In 1951 it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural ( cultural asset ).
history
San Xes de Francelos is in the reign of the Asturian King Alfons III. (866–910), the last ruler of the Asturian kingdom, which at that time also included Galicia . In documents of the Celanova monastery from 986 and 993 the place Francelos and a monasterium Francellos are mentioned. The church of San Xes de Francelos therefore once belonged to a monastery. How long this existed is not documented. According to a document from 1156, in which the church is called Iglesia de Santa María de Francelis , it was first consecrated to Mary . In a tradition from the late 14th century, the church ecclesia parrochialis Santa Maria Magdalena Sancte Genesis is called. Apparently it was used as a parish church ( ecclesia parrochialis ) at that time and was dedicated to Mary Magdalene and St. Genesius of Arles . Saint Genesius was a martyr whose cult had been widespread in Spain since the 7th century. Only his patronage remained.
architecture
The church has a single nave and is built from large granite blocks connected with mortar . It has a rectangular floor plan , a length of 8.60 meters, a width of 5.75 meters and a wooden ceiling. Frieze blocks with double dew tape decor are walled into the facade . The high bell gable (espadaña) is from a later period.
West facade
The entrance is formed by a horseshoe arch that rests on monolithic half- columns. Symmetrically branched vines with grapes are depicted on the column shafts . The two capitals have four rows of stylized palm leaves . They are imitations of Corinthian capitals that were used in a similar form in the pre-Romanesque buildings of Asturias such as San Salvador de Priesca or Santiago de Gobiendes and also occur in San Miguel de Escalada or Santiago de Peñalba . Whether the horseshoe arch goes back to Mozarabic influence or from the Visigothic period is controversial. Other buildings from the Visigothic period, such as San Juan de Baños, also have horseshoe arches. These horseshoe arches are less closed than the Mozarabic ones. Since they usually have the same number of keystones on both sides , they have no keystone .
Reliefs
Next to the capitals there is a granite block with a relief under the first wedge of the horseshoe arch . The scene on the right is interpreted as the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem , the scene on the left as the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt .
window
There is a window on both sides of the portal . The left window is square. The right window is a round arched window and has a transenne , which is pierced in the form of two rosettes and three delicate, keyhole-like arches. The use of a window transenne and its design can be attributed to Mozarabic influence, with transennas also being installed in the pre-Romanesque churches of Asturias such as San Miguel de Lillo . The window is framed with a dew band and surrounded by a vine with grapes. Above it are shown four birds pecking at the grapes. These motifs are reminiscent of churches from the Visigothic period such as Santa María de Quintanilla de las Viñas , but could also be traced back to Mozarabic influence.
Excavations
Archaeological digs revealed nine children's graves carved in granite and uncovered. They contained remains of bones, but hardly any grave goods .
See also
literature
- Achim Arbeiter , Sabine Noack-Haley: Christian monuments of the early Middle Ages from the 8th to the 11th century . Mainz 1999, ISBN 3-8053-2312-3 , pp. 226-227.
- Jaime Cobreros: Guía del Prerrománico en España . Madrid 2006, ISBN 84-9776-215-0 , p. 73.
- Jacques Fontaine: L'Art Préroman Hispanique. Volume 1, 2nd edition, Éditions Zodiaque, Abbaye de la Pierre-Qui-Vire 1973, pp. 333–334.
Web links
Coordinates: 42 ° 16 ′ 35.9 ″ N , 8 ° 9 ′ 20.1 ″ W.