habitat rupestre.pdf - Società Friulana di Archeologia

EXCAVATED SHRINES IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULAJ. Llopis Verdú, A. Torres Barchino, J. Serra Lluch, A. García Codoñer, J. L. Higón CalvetDepartment of Graphic Expression in Architecture. Polytechnic University of Valencia, SpainIntroductionIn Spain, between the 6th and 11th Centuries, in a socio-politicalsetting characterised by the instability of the borderlandscaught between two conflicting cultures, the Muslims in thefertile South, and the Christians in the rocky North, religiontook refuge in the rocky enclaves. Pre-Romanesque Spain witnesseda phenomenon that will never be repeated, that of asudden upsurge in the number of hermits and anchorites whoretired to the rocks to carry out their religious endeavours totheir hearts content, isolated, humble and ascetic, erectingsmall shrines in the caves, shrines which would later formthe very foundations of monasteries or churches which wouldgenerally be able to stand the test of time.They are buildings on the very fringes of architecture. Excavatedconstructions, resulting from the extraction of materialsas opposed to the depositing of them. To start with theyused natural shelters, but later they proceeded to “construct”veritable churches, either to honour the presence of a Saint at apre-existing site, or to make up, through sheer hard work, forthe lack of materials to build a new temple.They are sites replete with symbolism which cover the wholespectrum of religious architecture: from the grotto shrine tocave monasteries, via chapels and churches. Sites destined toplay host to the religious needs of an isolated anchorite, or toprovide mass to a monastic commune formed by a religiouscommunity.The sites are therefore very different, both to their characteristicsand to their size. Sites which in any case have managedto survive to the current day, but usually in a state of abandonment.Converted into stables, houses or storage barns, theirformer use now difficult to discern. And only a few isolatedexamples continue to be used for their original purpose.Fig. 1 Tiermes archaeological site (Montejo de Tiermes, Soria)1071. A brief historical overviewThe Iberian Peninsula is a region brimming with churches,grotto shrines, monasteries and other religious sites that havebeen either totally or partially excavated. The climate and thegeology have been kind, facilitating these natural shelters almostacross the whole of the region and culture, or rather, successivecultures through the region’s history, have done therest. In fact, it could even be said that there was a strong degreeof continuity in the use and reuse of these types of sitesby the different cultures and civilisations that have settled in,or have emerged from the Iberian Peninsula.From the Altamira caves to the churches built during the SpanishBaroque on top of former grotto shrines or tributes to theVirgin Mary, there have been cave constructions present everywherefrom all different times. The most striking examplewould have to be the excavated city of Tiermes in Soria, withremains that date from Neolithic through to Medieval times.This period coincided with the unending occupation over ofperiod of more than 35 centuries by the Iberian, Roman andVisigoth cultures, and was a way of life that only began todisappear once we got to the Modern Age.Now although the construction of excavated dwellings canstill be seen to this day, and there are still large groups of ex-volumeRicerca_OK_2012-11-15.indd 107 16/11/2012 15:02:02