Santa María la Real de Nieva Monastery
The Santa María la Real de Nieva Monastery in Santa María la Real de Nieva , a municipality in the Segovia province of the Spanish Autonomous Region of Castile and León , is a former Dominican monastery that was founded in the 14th century. The cloister , refectory and chapter house have been preserved from the monastery buildings . The church , the patron saint Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña (Our Lady underground) ordained, is now a parish church . In 1920 the cloister and the north portal of the church were declared a monument ( Bien de Interés Cultural ).
history
The founding of the monastery goes back to an apparition of Mary in 1392 and the miraculous discovery of a figure of Mary, which was probably buried during the Moorish conquest of the Iberian Peninsula . Catherine of Lancaster , Queen of Castile and León , had a hermitage and a church built on the site from 1393 . It promoted the settlement and the creation of an independent place, the villa , which did not belong to the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Segovia , and granted it tax exemption and other privileges.
In 1399 Santa María la Real de Nieva became a branch of the Dominican Order of Preachers. The Dominicans built the monastery buildings and enlarged the church from 1414. During this time the choir head , the crossing and the north portal were built. In 1432 the construction work was completed. The cloister was also laid out in the first half of the 15th century.
The decline of the convent began in the 17th century . The newly constructed road from Valladolid to Madrid no longer led via Santa María la Real de Nieva, which contributed to the impoverishment and the emigration of the population. In 1812 French troops camped in the monastery under Joseph Bonaparte . In the course of the dismortment under Juan Álvarez Mendizábal , the Dominicans were expelled in February 1836, and in 1837 the abolition of the monastery was confirmed. The church, the cloister and the chapter house became the property of the diocese of Segovia and the remaining buildings became the property of the municipality. In 1899 a fire destroyed a large part of the old monastery buildings.
Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña church
Exterior construction
The bell gable ( espadaña ), built around 1600, rises above the southern transept , crowned with a triangular gable and pierced by three arched openings. The choir head is characterized by the large central apse , which is structured by four buttresses and broken by four large, pointed archivolt windows. A round window opens in the right side apse, the left apse has two windows with an Alfiz frame. The former convent buildings are attached to the south facade of the church.
North portal
The north portal is covered by arched archivolts , which are framed by an Alfiz frame. On the outer archivolt you can see the risen from the dead on the day of judgment . The two central arches represent angels, martyrs and saints, on the inner archivolt one can see seraphim with their crossed wings. The keystones of the archivolts are also set with angels. In the place of capitals , a frieze with the depiction of the passion of Jesus runs at the height of the approach of the arches . It begins on the left with the Lord's Supper , followed by the washing of the feet, Jesus on the Mount of Olives, the Judas kiss and the arrest of Jesus, Peter cutting off an ear from Malchus , Jesus in front of Caiaphas , surrounded by soldiers, and the condemnation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate .
On the right side the frieze continues with the scenes of Jesus at the scourge column, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion. To the right and left of the cross are Longinus , the soldier who thrusts Jesus in the side with a lance, and Stephaton , who holds the sponge with vinegar to Jesus' mouth. Only remnants of the two crucified thieves remain. This is followed by the Descent from the Cross, the Entombment, the Resurrection and the women standing at the empty tomb. A ribbon with vine tendrils and small dog heads runs above the frieze, the latter alluding to the Dominican brothers, the domini canes (dogs of the Lord).
The lintel is supported by two carved consoles ( mochetas ). On the left a griffin is holding a hare in its claws, on the right a lion is taking possession of a naked woman. Only the two outer scenes of the Last Judgment on the lintel have survived, on the left the admission of a person into paradise and on the right the abyss of hell.
The figures in the tympanum are badly damaged. Christ is enthroned in the middle, the two people on the side are considered to be the founders of the monastery, Catherine of Lancaster and her husband Henry III. , interpreted.
West portal
The west portal, also known as the Puerta del Perdón (Portal of Forgiveness), was renewed in the 18th century. In the niche above the portal there is a sculpture of St. Dominic . The coat of arms of the Dominican order is carved over the keystone of the archway. An inscription states that the construction work was carried out in 1724.
inner space
The church is built on the plan of a Latin cross . The nave has three aisles , the side aisles are covered by ribbed vaults, the main aisle by a barrel vault with stitch caps . A three-part choir head with a polygonal main apse and two smaller, square side apses adjoin the transept in the east.
The two western bays of the nave are taken up by a gallery that served as the choir for the Dominican Brothers. There are walnut choir stalls from the late 15th century with flamboyant decor . The underside of the gallery has a painted wooden beam ceiling ( artesonado ) in the Mudejar style .
The floor of the nave is covered with wooden planks, under which the graves of believers are located. In the transept, the graves are covered with granite and slate slabs, some of which have inscriptions. The church has over 500 graves. The burials in the church go back to the beginnings of the monastery.
Wall painting
During the restoration in 1997, a wall painting depicting St. Christopher was discovered. It is made using the fresco technique and is dated to the first third of the 15th century. The saint is dressed in a red cloak, he is barefoot and is leaning on a palm tree. Small children sit on his belt and he carries an overly large baby Jesus on his left shoulder. Small donor figures kneel to the side. Since the sight of a picture of St. Christopher is supposed to protect against sudden death, images of St. Christopher that can be seen from afar have been installed in many churches.
Virgen de la Soterraña
In the middle of the nave there is an altar surrounded by a grid. A door is set in the floor, which leads to the place where, according to legend, the figure of Mary was found, known as the Virgen de la Soterraña (Virgin under the earth) and who gave the church its name. The original sculpture, dated to the 11th or 12th century, was largely renewed after a fire in 1900. It is kept in the central niche of the main altar.
Cloister
A portal framed by arched archivolts opens to the cloister on the south side of the church . There is also access from the street. In contrast to the monastic orders, the cloisters of the mendicant orders were also accessible to the population. Members of the various brotherhoods of Santa María la Real de Nieva were buried in the galleries until the 16th century , when they were allowed to be buried in the aisles of the church and under the west gallery. None of the numerous votive pictures that were attached to the walls of the galleries have survived.
The cloister has a square floor plan, its four galleries are supported by ogival arcades that rest on eighty columns arranged as double columns with artistically carved capitals. The first floor, built in the 16th century, was demolished during renovation in the 1960s. Capitals, spars, arcade arches and arches are decorated with over 400 relief representations. Her pictorial program is still closely linked to the Romanesque . Recurring themes in the representations are scenes from everyday life, fighting and hunting scenes and the fight between good and evil.
Numerous allegorical representations of heads with open mouths, from which leaf tendrils sprout, point to the importance of the sermon . Dog heads are often shown, and the cover plates of the capitals are often decorated with small dog heads. They symbolize the domini canes and underline the role of the Dominicans, who played them especially in the Inquisition . Trees guarded by dogs are interpreted as a symbol for the defense of the teaching of the church by the Dominican order.
North gallery
Stylized leaves, animals and mythical creatures are depicted on the eastern capitals of the north gallery. A lion holds a small person in its claws, next to a dragon two naked women are wrapped in large leaves. The corners of another capital are decorated with grimaces, a mouth devours a naked body. A bird feeds its young on a capital with large stylized leaves. Two sides of a capital are devoted to biblical scenes, the Annunciation and the Flight into Egypt . In the center of the Annunciation scene is a vase with lilies, a symbol of Mary's virginity. A similar vessel, but with thistles, appears in the coat of arms of Santa María la Real de Nieva.
Dominicans are depicted several times, two brothers seem to be greeting each other, two are deep in conversation, one brother is negotiating with a stonemason. A capital shows a Dominican brother preaching in the pulpit. On the opposite side of this capital you can see a butcher's shop and an ox in the slaughterhouse. Several scenes depict knights in armor. A knight is fighting a lion, two knights are fighting a tournament, several knights gather to fight. In one scene, a Christian knight is fighting a Moors, who is captured by two soldiers on the back. One capital depicts a bull run, another depicts a wild boar hunt. A capital shows a centaur and a wild man with hair all over. Two people dressed in pleated robes are interpreted as the apostles Peter and Paul, who were succeeded by the Dominicans.
Sermon of a Dominican
Annunciation
Escape to Egypt
Fight with a lion
West gallery
Several capitals have plant motifs. Often stylized trees are depicted, as on the first capital in the north of the west gallery. Perhaps they should recall the parable of the mustard seed , the tree that grows from the mustard seed and in whose branches the birds nest, or the tree of life mentioned in the Revelation of John ( Rev 2 : 7 EU ).
Some scenes depict fights among animals, a bear kills a sheep, a winged dragon squints at a deer. A hunter with a crossbow can be seen on a capital. In one scene a knight uses his lance to defeat an opponent who puts his crossbow aside. A capital shows a bear hunt. As in the north gallery, a capital depicts the fight between a Christian knight and a Moors wearing a turban.
On a capital, a woman brings a gift to a Dominican brother. She is carrying a basket on her right arm and in her left hand is holding a rope to which a goat is tied. A capital shows the admission of a novice .
The coat of arms of Catherine of Lancaster, the founder of the monastery, is emblazoned on two capitals. It is held by two Dominicans who kneel to one side. On the left half of the coat of arms castles and lions of the Kingdom of Castile are depicted, on the right half leopards and lilies for the House of Lancaster .
Tree of Life and Allegory of the Sermon
A Dominican receives a gift from a woman
Admission of a novice
Coat of arms of Catherine of Lancaster
South gallery
On a capital of the south wing, two kneeling angels hold the coat of arms of the Castilian king Henry III. , consort of Catherine of Lancaster, whose coat of arms is shown on the opposite page. Several capitals are decorated with vines and grapes, and some depict pine trees guarded by dogs. Winged dragons and snakes with intertwined necks and heads facing each other can also be seen.
A capital is devoted to bear hunting. The hunter kills the animal by thrusting his lance into its mouth. The reverse shows the return from the hunt with the hunted prey. The capital with the depiction of a shepherd and his flock of sheep is perhaps a tribute to the shepherd who rediscovered the buried sculpture of the Virgen de la Soterraña . Dominicans are depicted on one capital, one side shows a brother with a bricklayer building the monastery, on the other side you can see a Dominican teaching his students.
A capital takes up a theme from the Bible. It shows Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge , draped with fruits , around which the serpent winds. The next scene is the expulsion from paradise.
Bear hunting
Dominicans in construction
Adam and Eve
Expulsion from Paradise
East gallery
Three capitals of the east gallery are provided with the cycle of monthly pictures . The month of January is represented by two people sitting by the fire. A shoemaker embodies the month of February in his workshop. In March the farmer begins to work in the vineyard, in April the gentleman goes for a ride on his horse. The month of May is the time of the hawk hunt for the Lord, the farmer cuts the hay in June. In July and August the grain is harvested and sheaves are tied. In September the farmer plows the field with an ox. In October the farmer pours wine from a hose into a wooden barrel. In November a pig is slaughtered and in December a table is laid for a feast.
One capital shows a Dominican with a stonemason working on the capitals, on another one sees an organ played by a Dominican, another operates the bellows, a third brother stands next to it with an open book.
Scenes of a falcon hunt can be seen on two sides of a capital, a theme that is also taken up in the monthly pictures. The representation of a bear hunt is very similar to a capital of the south wing. On one capital, two men are fighting a lion; on another, two hairy savages are fighting with each other. In one scene, a bird of prey takes possession of a wolf.
Two coats of arms held by angels remind of María of Aragón and her husband, the Castilian King John II. Both exercised the patronage of the monastery after the death of Catherine of Lancaster, John's mother. On the back of the coat of arms of John II, a winged lion and a winged bull guard a tree that is interpreted as the tree of life. The last capital of the east wing, opposite the passage to the street, is decorated with heads at the corners and can be seen as a counterpart to the allegorical representations of the sermon. The branches do not grow out of the mouths here, but penetrate the heads.
July and August months
month September
Falcon hunting
Dominicans playing the organ
literature
- Antonio Sánchez Sierra, Angel Ramón Esteban: Guía del Monasterio de Santa María la Real de Nieva . Artes Gráficas Palgraf, 2nd edition, Madrid 2009, ISBN 978-84-613-7348-2 .
Web links
- Santa María la Real de Nieva Ayuntamiento Santa María la Real de Nieva (Spanish, accessed September 13, 2013)
- Santa María la Real de Nieva arteguias.com (Spanish, accessed September 13, 2013)
Coordinates: 41 ° 4 ′ 11.6 " N , 4 ° 24 ′ 24.2" W.