Experts say that the work of the thirteenth century was reused from the missing Romanesque cathedral of Girona.
One of the windows of the window located in the cathedral of Girona. It will be a coincidence or not, but in these days of nativities the presentation of a stained glass window created in the thirteenth century could not have been more successful, which has remained hidden in the eyes of all those who visited the cathedral of Girona for almost five centuries . The reason: the one who has been all this time in the back of a 16th-century altarpiece. But the (re) birth of this medieval work could not be more opportune because in it you can see the oldest known human figures in a stained glass window in Catalonia (the previous ones are geometries) which are also, nothing more and nothing less, the typical figures Trippy Pictures and of the nativity scene: Jesus Christ, Mary, Joseph, the cow and the mule. A discovery that has filled parents with happiness , the representatives of the town hall of Girona that see with this finding more reasons to promote a cathedral museum.
THE COMPLETE STAINED GLASS WINDOW – CABILDO CATHEDRALICIO DE GIRONA
But let’s go in parts. The restoration works of the altarpiece of the Corpus Christi of the Girona Cathedral have enabled the illumination of this hidden stained glass window since 1562. The stained glass window, 1.30 meters wide and three meters high, consists of ten panels representing life of Jesus Christ and includes architectural elements and details, characters, vegetation and animals.
What was known is that in 1562, the teacher Antoni Coll signed an agreement to make the altarpiece for the chapel of San Francisco and San Martín for the Gothic cathedral of Girona. In October, the restaurateurs Laia Roca and Idoia Tantull, who worked on the cleaning and conservation of the same, notified those responsible for the cathedral of the find, starting a commission of experts who analyzed the work and determined its importance. “It has been a big surprise. It is exceptional because it is very old, incredibly well preserved and spectacular, ”said stained glass restorer Anna Santolaria.
THE ALTARPIECE THAT COVERED THE WINDOW – BISHOPRIC OF GIRONA
In this sense, the director of the Treasury of the Cathedral, Joan Piña, assured that all the experts of the commission – formed by representatives of Corpus Vitrearum and professors of the University of Girona – have been able to determine their date: the panels at the top and lower are from the first half of the thirteenth century and the centrals of the late fourteenth century. Also its quality: "exceptional".
That would be why the artisans of the new Gothic cathedral decided not to end this Romanesque piece and kept it on the back of the altarpiece. "Six panels were reused because there are figures carved in the upper part of the window and panels that have adapted to the pointed arch of the chapel," said Santolaria. In fact, for the expert, the piece presents “An important information about the techniques that were used in medieval times and talks about the dismantling process of the Romanesque cathedral”.
The finding gives arguments to those responsible for the cathedral to carry out its museum in which, in addition to the huge Tapestry of Creation (11th century), the old stained glass window with the new Bethlehem of Girona will have a prominent place. "It will be necessary to rethink the museum to find a suitable place to show the discovery," said the bishop of Girona, Francesc Pardo.
