The Gothic-Renaissance ashlar

We tell you the history and possible origin of the chairs found in the presbytery of the Church of San Juan del Hospital, behind the high altar.

HOW HE CAME TO THE CHURCH OF SAN JUAN DEL HOSPITAL

Around years 1950 to 1960, Barons of the Royal Jura, excmos. Mr. D. Muller and Luis Ferrer and his wife, Doña Blanca Morenés and Carvajal, They acquired an unassembled section of an ancient ashlar, of unknown provenance. The lot was transferred to a farm, property barons.

In 1996, D. Jaime Muller and Morenés, son of D. Luis and Doña Blanca, he offered to D. Manuel de Murua and Sancristóval, rector of the church of San Juan del Hospital in Valencia.

The pieces of the chairs were made up of eight sides with armrests in perfect condition and five seats with the respective misericordias.. All right least one in poor condition. Made in oak Flanders.

In the year 1997 were located in the presbytery of the church of San Juan del Hospital.

RESTORATION PROCESS:

in december of 1996 the 13 pieces to the carpentry workshop of the Arnal Domingo Brothers, in Serra, (Valencia) to be restored.

Wood pieces missing, as it can be seen in the photographs attached, They were made originally in French oak.

Once in the workshop, They were sanded to loosen accumulated dirt and old varnish and could better appreciate the size of the armrests: simple and stylized.

The job, very laborious for the historical and artistic demands entailed, was completed in april 1997. special work was dedicated to the "tender mercies", that could be faithfully restored, least one of them that was reproduced integrally in the style of the original.

once restored, in 1997 moved to the church of San Juan del Hospital, and they stood in the chancel, behind the high altar, where are they currently.

Once there is proceeded to the equalization tone wood pieces with polish and wax. This work was carried out by the restoration specialist, Mª Teresa Alapont.

Detail armrest: before being sanded, in part and then.

Part detail French oak, before being carved, reintegration of mercy

– In the photo above: two laterals of the ashlar with the headrest, one-piece, placed unworked. – in the bottom: the headrest and cut and prepared for final clamping.

POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE SEATS:

The original origin of the stalls is unknown, since when the barons of the Royal Jura acquired it, there was no document stating its origin.. So far, two hypotheses have been considered about its origin..

Until the year 2022 and based on the data available, it was believed that the stalls of the Presbytery of the Church of San Juan del Hospital could come from the Monastery of San Benito de Calatayud.

A study conducted in the year 2022 by the doctoral student Voravit Roonthiva from the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona, argues that it may come from the choir stalls of the parish church of Santa María de Agramunt (urgent).

Possible origin of the Monastery of San Benito de Calatayud

The Calatayud Monastery, was built in the s. XII, annexed to the Benedictine Monastery of Oña. The stalls were made for the choir of the church, located high at the foot of this. Later, in the decade of 1950-60 He was placed in the apse. When the convent closed community and moved to the Monastery of San Benito de Zaragoza, the day 31 July of 1969, They took with them the ashlar, which is supposed it was complete and in good condition.

He also arrived at the new convent, for similar reason, Monastery stalls Corella (Navarra), opting for the latter place that responds better to the wishes of the community, by the number of seats and so familiar that it was for religious.

About 1970 they sold the Calatayud stalls to an antique dealer.

Possible origin of the parish church of Santa María de Agramunt

The parish church of Santa María de Agramunt (urgent) It is a Romanesque church that was declared a BIC in 1931.

The stalls of the church of Santa María de Agramunt initially consisted of 25 chairs made of oak wood.

The choir was initially located in the main nave. In 1876 moved to the high stand. In a photograph taken in the year 1936 by Joan Pons Farré we can see the high tribune with a large part of the choir stalls. In the year 1952 the high tribune was suppressed and this led to the loss of a large part of the stalls. In the church of Santa María de Agramunt only 10 sides, eight chairs and eight original misericordia. The rest of the pieces of the stalls were sold in two lots.. There is no document that shows the exact date of the sale of these lots or where they ended up..

Probably a part of the stalls was acquired by the Muller and Ferrer family, barons of the Royal Jura in an antiques dealer in the province of Tarragona.

A study conducted in the year 2022 by the doctoral student Voravit Roonthiva from the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona, has made it possible to identify in the photograph of the stalls of the church of Santa María de Agramunt made by Pons Farré in the year 1936 three medallions from the stalls of the church of San Juan del Hospital de Valencia.

Photograph of the Choir of the church of Santa María de Agramunt in the high gallery in the year 1936.