The Cathedral of Segovia has restored the chapel of Santiago Apóstol, acquired in 1527 by Philip II’s accountant Francisco Gutiérrez de Cuéllar, who was also a knight of the Order of Santiago. For six months, four restorers have worked, whose work has revealed several objects that have remained for centuries in the recesses of the altarpiece and the grille, in addition to other paintings that have remained visible in the only crypt of the Cathedral.
The restoration – estimated at 202,000 euros, which has been fully financed by the Segovian museum – has been comprehensive: a quarter of the wall paintings of the vault were peeling and another quarter was degraded as a result of the humidity and the passing of the type. The walls were also “very dirty,” according to the main conservator of the project, Paloma Sánchez, who justified this darkness by the smoke from the candles that the faithful have placed over the centuries. “This chapel had a lot of worship,” he points out.
Behind the altarpiece, dedicated to the Apostle Santiago, they located remains of letters or petitions – prayers for the Saint to intercede – corresponding to the 16th, 18th and even later centuries, in Latin and Spanish. “Some remains have not been able to be recomposed, but others have, and there is a paleographer who is still transcribing them,” Paloma Sánchez clarifies to elDiario.es.
Prayers to the Saint between the wall and the altarpiece
The faithful placed these letters between the wall and the altarpiece, but in the upper part of the predella (the lower part of the altarpiece), at the base of the sculpture, other unexpected objects have been found: decorative flowers from the 19th or 20th century with vase-like supports, some discarded pieces of altarpiece, and an ancient awl and brush that were probably used for the wall paintings in the vault. “In some altarpieces it was common to place these prayers, but I had never seen so many things,” says Sánchez.
The place where the most lost objects have been found has been in the fence, inside the architrave, which is also hollow. The fence that can be seen is not the one initially wanted by Francisco Gutiérrez de Cuéllar, who had ordered one from Flanders. However, a fire in the port of Laredo deformed the fence, and Philip II’s accountant decided to commission it from a fence craftsman in 1594.
In the gaps in the architrave there were four inches of plant fluff, twigs and bird skeletons. It is within expectations to find this type of remains in this space. “What is unusual is that there were materials with which the fence was decorated,” says the restorer, who lists the findings: an awl to pierce the drawings, a bag of pigment, a fabric with traces of gold that preserved the shape. of a finger—it was used to polish the gilding—and some orange papers that were used to gilt the fence.
In addition, a small leather ball was slipped into the gap in the fence—“It is said that children used to come into the cathedral to play,” Sánchez clarifies—and a picture of the Virgin of Exile and an eight coin have also been found. maravedíes of the reign of Felipe III. “Within those friezes there was also a piece of fence that must have fallen, they couldn’t find it and they replaced it. The gilding is preserved as if it had just been done,” adds Sánchez, who has worked intermittently on the restorations of the Cathedral since 2001. All of these gaps have now been covered during the restoration for cleaning and to prevent other objects from getting in. .
Some caricatures from the 18th century
The crypt of Gutiérrez de Cuéllar has two rooms, which have also been restored in this project: a sacristy with a vault painted with angels of the passion and the burial of the accountant of Philip II, who died in 1581. “The vault had three layers of plaster and we discovered a large painted cross of Santiago measuring seven by four meters surrounded by shells,” says the restorer.
A virgin that was part of the original altarpiece has also been recovered and some caricatures of two characters prior to 1756 have been discovered. This reference comes from the plaster that was on these drawings and which was dated. Paloma Sánchez assures that they hardly have any information about these drawings. “We don’t know who they are, nor is it clear if they are men or women… one has a more aquiline nose and another, more flat. But we have preserved it out of respect for the original,” he points out.
Paloma Sánchez assures that the restoration work carried out has been “very respectful of the original” and the use of solvents that are too effective has been avoided. “We want to remove the smoke from the candles, but maintain the original varnish of the altarpiece, for example,” adds the restorer, who is committed to conservation that is “respectful of the passage of time” but that allows the visit to be better enjoyed. “The chapel is not so dark anymore. Until now, it went unnoticed and it will be a pleasure when it opens in January,” he predicts.
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