Santa Maria de La Piscina
The chapel of Santa María de La Piscina is located near the hamlet (pedanía) Peciña in the municipality of San Vicente de la Sonsierra in the north of the province of La Rioja , Spain . The building is the best preserved Romanesque monument in the Rioja when this region was part of the Kingdom of Navarre .
history
The Infant of Navarre, Ramiro Sánchez de Navarra , son of Sancho Garcés de Navarra , participated in the First Crusade and took part in the Siege of Jerusalem (1099) . According to tradition, he stormed Jerusalem at the place where the baths (piscina) of Bethesda were . After his return home he decreed in his will of November 13th, 1110 that in memory of his military pilgrimage to Jerusalem a manor with a church was to be built in his homeland, which was to bear the name Santa María de la Piscina , ie the "St. . Maria vom Bade "should be consecrated. His sons, including the later King of Navarra, García IV. Ramírez , granted his wish and the chapel was consecrated on August 1, 1137 by the Bishop of Calahorra , Sancho de Funes. It is still maintained and used today by the noble descendants of the founder, some of whom have the family name Ramírez de la Piscina .
architecture
The stones used to build the church are precisely carved. The outer walls of the building, which consists of a single nave and a lower apse , are stabilized and structured by vertical buttresses ; In addition, a narrow surrounding cornice divides the church vertically. The west facade is largely unadorned and is elevated by a bell tower ; the portal, which is staggered in depth, is - as is usual in the region - on the south side.
The interior of the church is barrel vaulted, but overall rather sparse; However, there are several Romanesque capitals with figurative representations (mythical animals, etc.). The figure of the Madonna in the apse dates from the 20th century.
Heraldic shield
In the 16th century, a stone heraldic shield framed and crossed by chains was installed above the portal, which was completely renewed in 1975 due to severe weathering damage; there is a Latin inscription underneath . The coat of arms shows - in addition to Maltese crosses and lilies - also small scallops and St. Andrew's crosses .
Wine
Viticulture has been practiced on the surrounding lands for centuries and the Bodegas Ramirez de la Piscina are known far beyond the borders of Spain for their Rioja .
Others
Immediately next to the church is the medieval necropolis of Peciña with its rock tombs .
Web links
- Románico Riojano. Santa María de la Piscina ( Memento of October 26, 2009 on WebCite ) (in the WebCite archive)
- Santa María de la Piscina - Photos + Info (arteguias, Spanish)
Coordinates: 42 ° 34 ′ 41 " N , 2 ° 43 ′ 33" W.