Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The creation and use of space in the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas, Burgos: architecture, liturgy, and paraliturgy in a female Cistercian monastery

2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17546559.2014.920098

1754-6567

Eduardo Carrero Santamaría,

Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books

AbstractIn the Cistercian female monastery of Las Huelgas (Burgos), the exceptionally well-preserved monastic complex is a fine example of the religious topography customary in the Cistercian Order, directly inherited from the Benedictines. In contrast to this, the legend of the Castilian monarchy's association with the monastery has produced studies which highlight the close relationship between architecture and royalty. Thus, traces have been sought of the palace upon which Alfonso VIII allegedly founded the monastery in the late twelfth century; the royal palace at the entrance, documented from the thirteenth century; and the chapels that may have been the scene of the king's investiture. This article reviews these oft-repeated theories, relating the topography of the entire site to the logical and habitual areas of a Cistercian monastery, such as the infirmary, the abbatial palace, a chapel in the cemetery, and the guests' chapel.Keywords: Las HuelgasBurgosliturgyCistercianarchitectureClaustrillas AcknowledgementsTranslation by Fiona Westbury. Publication of this article in English has been made possible by funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007–2013), ERC grant agreement no. 263036: “Reassessing the Roles of Women as ‘Makers’ of Medieval Art and Architecture.”Notes on contributorEduardo Carrero Santamaría is a lecturer in the History of Medieval Art at the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona. His principal line of research centres on the cathedral and monastic architecture of the European Middle Ages, from the perspective of the interaction of uses and functions, from needs generated by the daily life of the clergy and the liturgy. In this respect he has carried out diverse works on the cathedrals of Galicia, Oviedo, León, Lleida and Salamanca. He has also investigated such topics as the analogies among image, architecture and liturgical and social use on pieces of out-standing material importance, as the chapel of the Sepulcher in San Justo of Segovia, the retro-chapels placed behind the major altars of cathedrals and monasteries, or the functional interpretation of Cistercian churches. He is the author of El Pórtico del Paraíso de la Catedral de Ourense (Zamora, 2000); El conjunto catedralicio de Oviedo en la Edad Media. Arquitectura, topografía y funciones (Oviedo: Real Instituto de Estudios Asturianos, 2003); Santa María de Regla de León. La catedral medieval y sus alrededores (León: Universidad de León-Secretariado de Publicaciones y Medios Audiovisuales, 2004); Las catedrales de Galicia. Claustros y entorno urbano (A Coruña: Fundación Pedro Barrié de la Maza, 2005); El convento de Santa Cruz la Real de Segovia y su Santa Cueva (Segovia: Real Academia de Historia y Arte de San Quirce, 2008); and La Claustra Nova de la Catedral de Ourense (Ourense: Grupo Francisco de Moure-Diputación Provincial, 2013).