Ermita de la Virgen de Consolación (Belalcázar)

The Ermita de la Virgen de Consolación (Convent of Our Virgin of Consolation) in Belalcázar is a hermitage that dates back to the early days of the Reconquista. Gahet , as Belalcázar was called at that time, was conquered by the troops of Fernando III on September 9, 1236 and only repopulated in the last third of the 13th century. Nothing is known about the builders of the hermitage.

history

On July 23, 1472, the village heads of Belalcázar and Hinojosa met in the chapel to determine the rights of use of their pastures.

D. Luis María Ramírez wrote in 1840:

«La actual ermita de Ntra. Sra. de Consolación fue iglesia de la aldea de Coslada, la cual existía aún en 1411. En lo antiguos se celebraba, el 8 de septiembre, una feria más en la fecha que se celebra solamente una velada, para lo que tiene alrededor de la iglesia portales en tres lados. El dicho día se hace una función costeada por la piedad de los felles. Esta ermita es muy visitada por los vecinos de la villa y de Hinojosa, principalmente los sábados de marzo en que por tradición se ganan muchas indulgencias. In tiempos de necesidad por falta de lluvia y otras, it llevada la imagen de ésta Señora a la parroquial de Belalcázar donde se hacen rogativas. Su construcción y retablo denotan ser del siglo XIV ó XV. »

“Today's Ermita de Ntra. Sra. de Consolacion was the church of the hamlet of Coslada which already existed in 1411. It used to be celebrated on September 8th, a feria with the special feature that it was only celebrated for one evening. [...] This day is of great importance for the piety of believers. The hermitage is often visited by the neighbors from Hinojosa, especially on March Saturdays, when traditionally one receives a lot of indulgence. In times of distress, for example lack of rain, or the like, the image of this saint is brought to the parish church of Belalcazar, where the supplicants meet. The building and the altar date from the 14th or 15th century. "

Oral tradition has it that this pilgrimage was more popular than that of Alcantarilla in the 1920s and 1930s . The people came from all the surrounding villages. There were dances accompanied by songs and the dancers decorated the festival with palm branches. Stalls were set up, as was the custom in the orchards of the peach farmers, and neighbors and friends were invited to wine and peaches. When the pilgrimage at the hermitage came to an end in the evening, the festival and the dances were moved to Calle de la “Velá” , (English: Street of the Candle; today: Calle de Fray Juan de la Puebla), in the Barrio Marrubial .

In the early post-war years, a procession was introduced to add more solemnity to the celebrations in Belalcazar. The custom was introduced to carry the image of the saint to the parish church on the evening of August 15th, where she stayed until September 8th. For the overpass, four stone tables were set up on the route to enable the porters to put the picture down in between.

architecture

Scientific research shows that the current shape of the hermitage is based on a renovation in the late 15th or early 16th century. At that time a Gothic apse was added, which was roofed with a simple cross arch. In addition, thick columns strut up over typical Gothic foundations that hold one of the arches. The very low arches on the sides are also evidence of this conversion. The church interior has three aisles with very low arches. The current construction rests on large monolithic pillars with a square floor plan. Perhaps this suggests that they are older than the other walls and arches. Some places are heavily limed, which could indicate an origin at the time of the Reconquista . The uncalcified arches, on the other hand, in the typical Serrana style, have a much smaller height and a greater width at the pillar base. Like the Ermita de la Alcantarilla, it has windows on the base instead of the door. The side door (to the north) is formed by large stones without mortar. They seem to be of Romance origin. The south side door is much deeper and has a lintel with fine mortar instead of the arch. The wide roof covers the nave and the two side portals. The roof of the main entrance hugs it on the gable side. The ridge turret with the bell rises from the roof and sits on the transverse vault that rises near the gable end of the church. A small column reinforcement, made of slate on a wooden construction, which can be seen at the main entrance, is also striking. It comes from the graves that have been dug around the church. Some of the granite tombstones can still be seen today.

The dimensions of the hermitage are comparable to those of the Ermita de la Alcantarilla . They work primarily through the large canopies that surround them. It is an interesting example of a rural hermitage that hosts regular pilgrimages and which still has a medieval feel.

The 14th or 15th century altarpiece was destroyed in the civil war. Oral tradition tells us that it was quite small, but decorated with gold leaf. The interior also included a wrought iron fence that separated the presbytery and the pulpit from the church.

Modifications in recent times

After the end of the civil war, a new image of grace worth 1,200 pts. prepared. This was placed in a shallow niche on the wall of the presbytery.

In the 1960s the roofs were redesigned, the two tall side windows were added to illuminate the presbytery and some wooden beams on the portal were replaced with cement columns. During this time a polychrome painted wooden pillar to which a lamp was attached was lost. Its style was comparable to the artistically designed beams from the Castillo or the Convento de Santa Clara de la Columna .

In 1993 the miraculous image was stolen along with other objects (silver jugs, candlesticks and bronze vessels). In the same year, today's miraculous image was made by the Franciscan sculptor Francisco Javier from the San Antonio monastery in Seville. To accommodate the new image of grace, today's niche was designed, which is lined with granite stone and designed in a cross shape. At the same time, the altar was replaced by the current altar made of two granite blocks.

During the work, repairs to a cornice on the front of the church, which since time immemorial was actually called the "Purísima" (Eng. Reine), discovered polychrome Gothic paintings under the plaster. The picture took up the entire front and depicted three adults and a child in a stooped position. The paintings are damaged, but in relatively good condition.

The execution of this work was entrusted to the Hermano Mayor of the Brotherhood, the master mason Dionisio Núñez Hidalgo . Much of the materials were donated. For over 40 years the sanctuary has been preserved in this way, while tradition and popular piety have been strengthened. Hermano Mayor is now Manuel García Medina .

Individual evidence

literature

• Mancomunidad de Los Pedroches: Los Pedroches. Mancomunidad de Municipios, Cordoba. Guia Turistica 1998. CO-1,388-1998.