Abstract
In 1977, an association was founded to restore the ruins of a medieval monastery located in the small town of Aguilar de Campoo (Palencia, Castile and León, Spain) and turn it into the hub of cultural engagement of a progressively depopulated region with scarce economic resources but a remarkably rich cultural heritage. This original initiative has since led to an enormous wealth of activity, and the Santa María la Real Foundation, heir to that association, has diversified the fields in which it works, extending its activities throughout Spain and other countries. The link with Romanesque art, one of the hallmarks of the Aguilar region, has always remained very much alive, although its reach is now much greater, notably through the publication of an ambitious work, the now benchmark “Enciclopedia del Románico en la Península Ibérica” (Encyclopedia of the Romanesque in the Iberian Peninsula). The international impact of this foundation, in an increasingly globalized world with greater demand for culture and heritage, is growing, with activities in different fields and a wide range of projects. However, the roots and ideological foundations that drove those who, more than forty years ago, with no funds but with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, decided that the role civil society plays is crucial when raising awareness about and conserving heritage and that this cultural wealth, far from being a burden, should be understood as an enormous resource, have never been forgotten. This is what they believed, and they got right to work.
This text was originally published in the Dossier: Heritage and International Relations published in Locus—Revista de História—UFJF, Vol. 26, nº 2, 2020, organized by Rodrigo Christofoletti (UFJF) and Maria Leonor Botellho (FLUP-CITCEM).
Director of the Center for Romanesque Studies of the Santa María la Real Foundation, an institution with which he has been associated since 1985. An archaeologist and medievalist, he is the general coordinator of the “Enciclopedia del Románico en la Península Ibérica” (Encyclopedia of the Romanesque in the Iberian Peninsula) and has published more than seventy works related to the art, history and culture of the Middle Ages, as well as cultural heritage management. He is the author of several books, mainly historical works, including “Una aldea en tiempos del Románico” (A Village in Romanesque Times) (2009), which was awarded a national prize by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Along these same lines, he has published “Peregrinar a Compostela en la Edad Media” (Pilgrimage to Compostela in the Middle Ages) (2016), as well as the guide “Palencia, románico imprescindible” (Palencia, Must-See Romanesque Art) (2019).
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Notes
- 1.
For those unfamiliar with European historical terminology, the concept of ‘Romanesque’ is, in theory, an exclusively artistic reference, although over time it has taken on a much broader meaning. Romanesque is the art that developed throughout Europe, or rather in what was then called Christendom, i.e., the area dominated by Christians and which gradually expanded towards the north and east of the continent. Although diverse in its manifestations, Romanesque art follows a common pattern, seeking to replicate the artistic forms of classical antiquity, a period considered by the people of the Middle Ages as the golden age of humanity. An ecclesiastical building frenzy began in the early eleventh century in several central European regions, roughly at the confluence of what is now France, Italy and Germany. Great churches with tall towers were built using the round arch and the vault, reaching a monumental scale that had not been seen since classical times. Rodulfus Glaber, a contemporary chronicler of the events, tells us that “it seemed as though each Christian community was aiming to surpass all others in the splendor of construction. It was as if the whole world were shaking itself free, shrugging off the burden of the past, and cladding itself everywhere in a white mantle of churches. Thus, almost all the episcopal churches and those of the monasteries dedicated to various saints, even little village chapels, were rebuilt better than before by the faithful” (Prieto 2004, pp. 155–157). Depending on the region, this phenomenon lasted until the early thirteenth century and was made possible by a combination of other circumstances: the end or containment of the second invasions (Vikings, Slavs and Muslims), the strengthening of the monarchies, which consolidated their power; a degree of social stability, particularly in comparison with previous centuries; the development of trade routes and an increase in population and productivity, with greater surpluses; and even a mild climate that favored good harvests and the expansion of cultivated land. At the same time, many of the monasteries adopted the Benedictine rule, creating a level of spiritual unity and cohesion within the church that had never been seen before. These were the years when the first crusades were called, which, as well as bringing Romanesque art to the Holy Land, drove the violence inherent in the aristocratic system of life out of the heart of Europe. This was a period of tremendous development at all levels, and a true European identity, with both its shared features and its diversity, began to take shape. The thousands of buildings and artistic objects that are still preserved today are the legacy of this historical period and represent an immensely rich cultural heritage, an enormous asset that is increasingly being tapped into today.
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González, J.N. (2021). Cultural Heritage and Globalization: Trajectory, Projects, and Strategies of the Santa María la Real Foundation (Aguilar de Campoo, Castile, and León, Spain). In: Christofoletti, R., Botelho, M.L. (eds) International Relations and Heritage. The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77991-7_4
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