Camarín
As Camarín ( catalan Cambril is) in Spain and in the former Spanish colonial empire a small, half-hidden space behind the high altar called a church, is on its exact purpose unclear. In rare cases there can be several small interconnected rooms.
definition
- Capilla ó pieza que suele haber detras de un altar, donde se venera alguna Imágen. Diccionario de arquitectura civil, 1802. (Translation: "Chapel or room, usually behind the altar, in which an image is venerated.")
function
Possible functions for the space basically reserved for the priest alone are mentioned:
- Dressing room for the priest
- Prayer or meditation room
- Tabernacle room
- Treasure or jewelry chapel
architecture
Camarínes are only about 5 to 10 m² big rooms behind the altar with often overly rich late baroque furnishings (figures, ceiling paintings etc.) Usually very small (ceiling) windows are sufficient for exposure.
Occurrence
Camarínes occur predominantly in baroque churches in southern Spain and Catalonia as well as in the Spanish-Portuguese colonial empire.
- Virgen del Rosario, Granada
- Cartuja of Granada
- Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados, Valencia
- Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, Málaga
- Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, Archidona
literature
- Venancio Galán Cortés: Una Estancia Celestial en la Tierra: El Camarín. in: María del Amor Rodríguez Miranda: Nuevas perspectivas sobre el Barroco Andaluz. Arte, Tradición, Ornato y Símbolo. 2015. ISBN 978-84-606-8084-0 , pp. 517-530. (PDF, Spanish)