Villamorón Iglesia de Santiago Apóstol La catedral del Páramo Arquitectura religiosa en 4K

The bells stopped ringing in the 1970s of the previous century After this church was deconsecrated and its movable furnishings transferred to Burgos we now only hear them again at Abadajo o due to the poor condition of the wooden yokes following the major structural reinforcement of the building carried out by the Junta de Castilla y León and the dedication to its restoration by the Cultural Association Amigos de Villamorón which this year will celebrate its 20th anniversary The monumental grandeur of the Church of Santiago Apóstol in Villamoró Rising from the ruins of a small abandoned farmhouse on the slope of Villegas near the Brullés River It's surprising to find a temple of this scale in such a small community especially since it's also rare for its construction to remain so close to the original design with almost no alterations with a fortified exterior and remarkable architectural solidity In the first part of the documentary we'll explore his story architecture and construction style In the second how the Cultural Association Friends of Villamorón was founded in 2003 e structural consolidation carried out by the Junta of Castilla y León between 2009 and 2010 and the restorations carried out through the microdonation campaign along with those still remaining to be done Two and a half thousand years ago during the Early Iron Age near Villamorón A group of pastoral families once lived there leaving behind a significant necropolis The settlement was later inhabited by the Celtiberians Later it became the Roman town of Segisama Julia now known as Sasamón Near Villamorón there is a restored Roman spring Along with the numerous wells they were the only sources of potable water supply until the area was connected to the municipal water network in 1987 Later the Visigoths arrived and following the establishment of the Kingdom of Asturias During the Reconquest and repopulation Count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos founded Villadiego and Count Rodrigo conquered Amaya allowing the Foramontanos to cross the Cantabrian Mountains and settle in simple villages Diego son of Don Rodrigo founded the city of Burgos and Count Nuño Núñez settled in Castrojeriz one of those family groups that crossed the Cantabrian Mountains led by Egu and Maurontá With the count of Villadiego's permission he settled in Villegas a town in Egas and Villamorón a town in Maurontá Following a period of economic development driven by the city of Burgos's commercial significance churches were built and renovated Villegas and Villamorón belonged to the parish of Ormaza since the 10th century And the temple of Villamorón may have been built by the lordship of a noble as it is dedicated to the Apostle James For some historians the temple is Romanesque or late Romanesque for others it is a transitional proto-Gothic or Gothic-style temple but no studies exist only references Dating from the mid to late 13th century s architecture and sculpture are distinctly Gothic featuring structural and decorative elements inherited from the final phase of Romanesque style becoming the first temple in Burgos designed in the innovative Gothic style that had arrived from France and the model for the Fernandine churches that arose by the end of the thirteenth century Regarding the mosques of Córdoba seized from the Almohads by King Ferdinand III the Saint We have few certainties Yes as I mentioned we do know it comes from somewhere in Normandy or Bologna The project's technical references for the church construction are measured in Paris feet not in Castilian feet of the period Its exceptional craftsmanship featuring finely cut limestone masonry stands in stark contrast to the adobe walls of the surrounding houses The material was brought from afar and as we've said the cost could have been borne by some patron or major institution The stone used here as throughout the church is the moorland stone It has undergone few renovations such as the addition of the sacristy or the enclosed courtyard but the belfry could also be given a defensive character just like other Castilian parishes of the medieval period such as that of Villegas the dangerous atmosphere of the 14th and 15th centuries Its exterior decoration consists solely of blind arches running along the walls of the apse Several rows of simple stone tiles beneath the eaves and a striking gargoyle The exterior of the tower is organized into four unequal sections The second is remated on a ledge adorned with blind pointed arches supported by small brackets with varied moldings Of the three covers that existed two were blocked The simplest could have been the one in the west flush against the wall with a pointed arch The northern arch was pointed with a capital decorated with flat leaves that curl at the ends It's blinding the northern door Notice how this church originally had three entrances Only one remains today which has also led to various interpretations There was likely or perhaps some connection of a certain kind as some claim Some have said there might indeed have been a monastery here because the proportions of this church are not those of a parish but surely those of something more significant such as a monastery They weren't that pretty after all As you can see here they had to be torn apart Either he adjusted the altar piece or it was destroyed—just as happened here with the choir If you see the choir over there these rows here are built into the column that has been cut which has been closed to fit in the rows The only access to the temple is through the southern recessed portal featuring six pointed archivolts The entrance arch with two square vaults and the other five with moldings of ogee and half-round ribs The supports are stepped pilasters without ornamentation and are faced with a cornice block Square-headed with three aisles of four bays the interior features an image of a Gothic building with spires arches or gables vaulted with intersecting ribs and adorned with vegetal capitals supported by pilasters and half-columns with occasional human mascarons or corbels featuring monstrous heads The great height of the central nave contrasts with the low ceilings of the side aisles Three small blind arches slightly pointed supported by double columns with smooth basket capitals They adorn the wall of the first section of the northern nave and a continuous terrace runs along the northern wall with a rounded edge The walls are whitewashed with colorful capitals and the vaults feature saints depicted in paintings that may be baroque in style Although beneath them other forms are discernible composed of red-stone blocks set against a white background These older paintings are dated by a brush inscription in lowercase Gothic script on the wall that closes the northern gate This church was painted in Lucio on the 1478th day first day of August Rising above the larger barn is a sturdy tower that has undergone numerous renovations over the centuries On the walls of the nave flying buttresses are positioned at the ends of each wall segment characteristic of Romanesque construction but with a later innovation of chamfered spouts that would subsequently support the corner buttresses In the walls of the chancel and the side panels of the southern nave pointed-arch windows are set into the openings They were not the narrow Romanesque openings but wider windows with a beveled sill In the northern wing it is repeated as a decorative feature attempting to bring more light into the interior through small lobed windows opening upward into the two aisles of the central nave and especially with the large intricately detailed rose window 4.5 meters in diameter located in the western axial façade The idea of light of lack of light in this northern region as you can clearly see here Why Because the framework of this altarpiece is blocking the window which in the original architectural plan was intended to illuminate this area Just as the western window at the end lets light into this area Beneath the rose window is the wooden choir originally from the 16th century now freshly restored Remnants of the ancient limestone baptismal font remain said to have crumbled during a baptism In the 1970s the movable furnishings were transferred to the Museum of the Retablo in Burgos Here stood a life-sized polychrome wooden crucifix from the Gothic period although its rough craftsmanship has led some to classify it as Romanesque Declared a cultural heritage site in 1994 its western façade nearly collapsed due to the water table We're sitting on a vast underground water table Every house here has its own well The church also has its own well What made that western facade distinctive was the presence of other wells from neighboring homes The small flow each time water was drawn contributed to destabilizing the building The depopulation left much of the village abandoned Over time foundation issues threatened to destroy the temple Yet the call and desire of a group of eight people to establish a cultural association to work toward the rehabilitation of the church in Villamorón Thus was born the Cultural Association Amigos de Villamorón on October 31 2003 composed of residents or former residents of the village their descendants and individuals from other provinces Because here the Board allocated no less than 1.3 million euros to reinforce the building The Junta of Castilla y León carried out the structural consolidation of arches and vaults between 2009 and 2010 by recovering the geometry of the plementerías The gradual removal of platforms and equipment the general protection of polychromies in vaults e protection of the stained glass windows the replacement of the framework and roof over the tower e restoration of the coronation of both staircases addition to the dismantling and reinstallation of the roof structure in the central and side aisles as the consolidation of the fill in the vaults' breasts In fact in the area of the main apse they had to reinforce the wall by stitching it with metal bars o prevent the building from continuing to open up Here where you are now there were already voussoirs from the vaults lying on the ground And these white off-white tiles clearly indicate they were broken From the fallen stones huge fragments of the vaults that collapsed here I'm not sure if you can see it for instance in the apse a slightly lighter line is visible from top to bottom The entire structure had to be reinforced with metal beams because the building was starting to split apart And why was the building opened Because the roofs that is the roof It was resting on the vaults—what we see here now—but that's not what vaults are actually for With such a heavy load this is a very typical issue in buildings of this kind What was happening The church was opening up The Friends of Villamorón Association took on some minor tasks inside restoring the sacristy floor and boarding up the belfry windows And thanks to a citizen-led crowdfunding campaign launched a year and a half ago Interior restoration has begun to harmonize the temple’s interior with its exterior appearance involving work on the choir area windows and an altar It has been possible thanks to the crowdfunding campaign we launched a year and a half ago with Hispania Nostra which received significant media attention and a notable success in securing funding that was very important to us for addressing the interior of the church The campaign focused essentially on two elements: the vertical surfaces commonly known as walls and the choir area These windows which today showcase these exquisite stained-glass panels are entirely new designed by the architect Antonio de la Fuente himself and crafted by a well-known glasswork studio in Burgos You've surely heard of him—this is the workshop of the Barrio brothers These windows the glasses and the rose window we'll see later were completely shattered And many of them were even blinded by adobe bricks This choir according to the building records dates from 1526 As you'll notice right away it's one of those additions that's utterly unfortunate because all access that staircase built into the wall beside a window Indeed it speaks to the lack of refinement among people following that monumental architectural project Repairs will also be needed for the vertical walls of the rest of the church and the polychromies in a subsequent phase without another microdonation campaign using the remaining funds and support from the Junta It's an image dating back eight years the time when the main altarpiece had to be dismantled It is currently stored down there beneath the choir That's why we installed those panels—partly to hide the embarrassments let's put it that way It had to be taken apart because as you can imagine its condition was dire and it was on the verge of collapsing posing a serious risk We'll see whether we succeed in recovering it in the next phase because those are big words We already have budgets exceeding 50 000 euros It is a Baroque altarpiece without polychromy There is also significant debate within the association on this matter and one must conclude that it should remain exactly as it is Currently the association with over a hundred members does not provide economic support for the church's restoration nor collects funds for its recovery but is funded through contributions from the members whose dues are for the association's expenses and not for repairing the church