Monastery of San Miguel de Escalada

San Miguel de Escalada is a pre-Romanesque church in the Mozarabic style. It belongs to the municipality in the Spanish province of León Gradefes the autonomous community of Castile and Leon and is located about 30 km northeast of León. In the Middle Ages, the monastery was a station on the Way of St. James.

History

End of the 9th century, monks built a monastery of Córdoba at the site of a ruined, derived from Visigothic time church, which was dedicated to the Archangel Michael. These monks spread like other Christians in Moorish Spain from Islam -influenced art and culture. After the Christian reconquest of the territories north of the Duero, in the second half of the 9th century, their repopulation was promoted. As the number of monks increased in La Escalada, a new church was built. This emerges from a lost dedicatory inscription, the contents of which has been preserved by a copy. It is the consecration of the church by Gennadius, Bishop of Astorga and founder of the monastery of Santiago de Peñalba, therefore dated to the year 951 of the Spanish era that began 38 years before our era 913. It is expressly mentioned, that the works were under the reign of King García I and his wife Mumadonna completed within twelve months and not because of imperial arrangement or by oppression of the people, but by the persistence and diligence of the abbot and the monks. 1156 imputed King Alfonso VII the monastery the St. Rufus Order in Avignon.

In 1886, the Church of the Monumento Nacional ( Bien de Interès Cultural ) was told. From the construction of the 10th century only the church has been preserved with Portico, the tower and chapel were added in the 11th century.

Portico

An unusual, erected at regular ashlar portico is located on the south side of the church with twelve horseshoe arches on 13 lean, partly re-used columns with foliated capitals. The number twelve can be interpreted as a reference to the twelve apostles or the twelve gates of the heavenly Jerusalem. The portico is the only part preserved from the cloister. The seven western arches are edged by a Alfiz frame, the five eastern arches are decorated simple and were added in the 11th century. The capital of the eighth column is attributed to the Omayyadenkunst and dates from the 8th century. It has scrolls and sun symbols on ( capital of the portico ).

To the west of the portico is a twin window ( ajimez ) is with two small, tight closed horseshoe arches and Alfiz frame. The center column of marble carries a Blattkapitell. From the portico there are two entrances to the church.

Facade

The building is built of rubble stone and ashlar, the clerestory - to reduce the weight - made ​​of bricks. In the clerestory five narrow arched windows are cut on both sides that are framed by a limestone block and closed with alabaster glass.

East and west gables have a nearly one meter high and 30 cm wide window with a monolithic window bars. Under the umbrella approach are decorated with notched ornaments like sun wheels or vortices stars consoles of stone that originally were probably made ​​of wood and served as corbels. These rolls consoles are - as Alfiz, transennae or the closed three-quarters horseshoe arches - typical of Mozarabic buildings. Among extends around the entire facade a tooth frieze of bricks. Equivalent frieze can be found at the begun in 785 Mezquita de Córdoba, which has probably served as a model.

Interior

The church is a three-aisled basilica with three horseshoe-shaped apses exterior finishes at right angles. Between the porch and the nave fünfjöchigen a high by four meters arcades lies with equal horseshoe arches separated, not outwardly projecting transept. These arcades had a similar function as the iconostasis of the Eastern Churches. About the arcades runs a frieze with medallions of leafy vines, is a bird with a fish in its beak or grape pecking birds. As in Santa Maria de Quintanilla de las Viñas lions, peacocks, eagles, ibises and pelicans are presented. Originally, these arcades were provided with curtains and ornamented stone barriers ( cancelas ), nine of which have survived. In addition, they have geometric motifs - such as the Fries - vines, palmettes and grapes pecking birds on. You are on as the slightly larger arcades between the central and the two side aisles on different colored marble columns with Corinthian capitals that were re-used and come from the late Roman or Visigothic period. The capitals are carved from limestone or marble and very carefully. Besides volutes and palmettes lions and birds are shown. Residues of black and red color indicate a former painting.

The oak ceiling in the Mudejar style of the nave dates back to the 15th century. In her sun gears, the coat of arms of Castile and Leon and the scallop are shown.