Today we visit the Church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns in Tui, next to the River Miño and neighboring Portugal, south of the province of Pontevedra.
Located on the outskirts of the town, the church is of great interest in three aspects: as a Romanesque church, because of its location as a point of the Portuguese Way of Saint James and also as a place of important findings of Roman remains.
Coordinates to find the location of Tui in Galicia. Extend the map and reach the church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns: 42.053337, -8.639056
The numbers shown underneath the photos are the map coordinates of the location from where each photo was taken.
We can see in this link our previous visits to the municipality of Tui following the Portuguese Way of Saint James from that enters Galicia: Click Here.
We continue here our tour by the Portuguese Way of Saint James in Tui. Starting from the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo we continue along the streets Antero Rubín, Canónigo Valiño, turn right and we arrive at San Bartolomé Street. The parish Church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns is located next to the square with the bandstand and the cruceiro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary_(sculpture)).
We can see the church and the yellow arrow that indicates us the right direction to take in the Way of Saint James. As previously noted yellow arrows were devised and painted by late Elías Valiña the priest in O Cebreiro for 40 years, great scholar and promoter of the Way of Saint James.
These are the yellow arrow and the scallop shell that also guide the pilgrims.
Now we see the bandstand and the square.
The cruceiro was carved in 1770. In the column stand out among other allegories the figures of St. Peter and St. Bartholomew. On the cross Christ is depicted in one of the faces and in the other the Virgin is represented with her dead son.
Church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns.
We read in the information panel located beside the church:
There was an important Roman settlement in its surroundings; the temple itself is built on a late imperial necropolis. The church with its monastery first was Benedictine then under the Rule of St. Augustine and existed (the monastery) until the 15th century, it was See of bishops in Tui in the 11th and 12th centuries.
This church replaced a previous one pre-Romanesque, that some point it was Visigoth, but the current stonework corresponds to the end of the 11th century or the beginning of the 12th century, in a very early phase of the Romanesque style in Galicia. Subsequent renovations from the 12th century have already influence of the Cathedral of Santiago. The Romanesque façade was replaced in the 18th century by the current.
The most valuable of the temple are the historiated capitals preserved from the first building, we can see the beheading of John the Baptist and the Feast of Herod (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beheading_of_St._John_the_Baptist) and various animal scenes full of symbolism.
Also highlights the apse wall painting scenes dating from the 16th century depicting various scenes from the Passion of Christ. They are the work of the workshop of painters of the Serveira family from Tui.
Wayside shrine located beside the outer fence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayside_shrine).
This is the north facade.
This is the apse located to the north.
This is the wall of the north apse. It is straight. It is one of the parts of the church which was built in the 11th century.
Central apse. It is semicircular, was rebuilt in the 12th century.
We can see here the three apses. The apses located to the south and to the north are from the 11th century, are straight. The central apse was rebuilt in the 12th century and is semicircular.
South façade. Sacristy.
Now we will enter the church.
This is the west wall of the church which is the main façade seen in the inside. In other words just entering and going to the right. We can see exposed archaeological remains, including a pulpit of the 15th century.
And this is the west wall but now we enter and go to the left. We see the stairs to the tower.
The church has three naves.
This is the right aisle looking from the entrance to the church. We can see to the right of the picture the south wall and in the background is the south apse. On the floor we can see the holes in access to the excavations that have been made, with finds of various Roman remains.
Here we will transcribe the text is read on an information panel beside the Church concerning the Roman Road XIX. We transcribe it because it is related to the church, referring to the Roman remains found in it.
Transcription:
Roman Road XIX. A route from Braga to Lugo by the ancient Roman Road XIX.
Mansio of TVDE. Mansio in the Roman Road in the Antonine Itinerary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansio
It is XLIII miles, about 69 kilometres, from the starting point of our itinerary, Bracara Augusta. A mansion was an infrastructure to provide accommodation and to serve as resting place for road users in Roman times, in this case the Roman Road XIX.
Depending on their importance some of them had stables for horses, workshops for the repair of carriages, warehouses, taverns or thermal rooms.
The present town of Tui keeps in its subsoil the remains of the mansio called "Tude" and the remains of Castellum Tyde, main city of the Grovii (the grovii, Latin grovii were a pre-Roman Galician people which continued to exist in Roman times, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovii).
Tude was surely the main grouped core of southern Galicia in Roman times so here there was a large commercial and administrative activity, it was also a tax collector center.
As regards the distribution of findings and Roman remains, the area around San Bartolomé de Rebordáns has the highest concentration of them; in fact, under the soil of the present church remains of graves from the 5th century are preserved which is associated with an extensive area of necropolis located next to the Roman Road XIX at the exit of the housing core.
Another panel reproduces the itinerary of the Roman Road XIX.
Detail of the south wall. This part of the wall which is located beside the door dates from the 11th century.
This is a pier with an attached column. Originally it had attached columns on all four sides.
Originally this other pier had attached columns only on two sides. We see to the left the gable roof over the central nave.
This is the central nave we can see the piers with attached columns we have mentioned, the gabled roof and in the background of the picture the central apse.
And this is the left aisle looking from the entrance to the church. We see to the left the north wall and in the background the apse located to the north of the church. Both are dated in the 11th century.
We see now from this aisle the other two naves and in the background the apse located to the south and the door entrance to the sacristy. We also see the pier with one attached column. Originally it had attached columns on all four sides just as the other pier we see to the right of the picture.
Detail of the gable roof over the central nave. We can see the checkered decoration present in other parts of the church, as will be seen.
Now we see the north apse. It is one of the parts dated in the 11th century. It has a semicircular arch, barrel vault, is quadrangular with a straight front wall. (The front wall is the wall where the window we see is situated).
North apse. This is the capital located to the right if we look towards the apse. We see to the left the beheading of John the Baptist and to the right the Feast of Herod with the table and food (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beheading_of_St._John_the_ Baptist).
North apse. Capital located to the left. On the left side it is represented two lions devouring a person and in the right two people watching the scene.
Central apse. It was originally just like the north apse of straight front wall, but was modified in the 12th century, "adding" the semicircle we see with mural paintings which were subsequently made. The apse has a part with a barrel vault and the other part is a semi-dome (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-dome).
We see the triumphal arch of the central apse, the capitals and mural paintings.
This is the central apse window. It is semicircular, with columns and capitals represent a lion and the other capital some leaves. We see in the middle the statue depicting St. Bartholomew: he is dominating the demon, who is chained to his feet, and holds a knife. We will see a similar representation of Saint Bartholomew in another statue of the saint located in the south apse.
Mural paintings in the central apse. We read in the information panel located beside the outer fence of the church: Also highlights the apse wall painting scenes dating from the 16th century depicting various scenes from the Passion of Christ. They are the work of the workshop of painters of the Serveira family from Tui.
Central apse. This is the capital located to the left in the triumphal arch. We can see three figures playing an instrument and to the left a dragon or monster.
Central apse. And this is the capital located to the right in the triumphal arch. Plant motifs.
This is the south apse. It is very similar to the north apse. It is another of the parts dated in the 11th century. It has a semicircular arch, barrel vault, is quadrangular with a straight front wall. (The front wall is the wall where the window we see is situated).
South apse. This is the capital located to the left if we look towards the apse. We also see the impost (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impost_(architecture)) which separates the wall and the vault with checkered decoration, very present in several parts of the temple.
Detail of the capital located to the left. We see a man holding a book in hand and two beasts beneath him on each side, a lion and a snake. There are two angels over the snake. It would represent the victory over evil or that knowledge liberates man from evil.
South apse. This is the capital located to the right. Also see the impost of this wall in the apse.
Detail of the capital located to the right. The two figures on the corners are clinging to the lianas on top while they are being attacked by two lions. A woman whose breasts are bitten by two toads is depicted in the middle. Punishment against lust would be represented in this capital in contrast to the capital on the other side.
We are still in the south apse. We see the statue of Saint Bartholomew. He is dominating the demon, who is chained to his feet, and holds a knife. We have seen a very similar depiction of the saint in the central apse.
Here we see the two windows located over the north apse and the central apse.
Our visit to the church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns ends here.
Note from the author: We have borrowed to document this visit some ideas contained in www.romanicodigital.com and www.arquivoltas.com which are important encyclopaedias about the Romanesque style. We modestly recommend the visit to both of them. We also thank D. Avelino Bouzón, canon archivist and parish priest, for their care and kindness on our visit.
The End.
No comments:
Post a Comment