Conjuratory

Last updated
Exconjuratory in Guaso, Aragon. The massive Pena Montanesa is in the background 213.Guaso - Esconxugador.JPG
Exconjuratory in Guaso, Aragon. The massive Peña Montañesa is in the background

A conjuratory or exconjuratory (Aragonese : esconchurador, Catalan : comunidor, Spanish : conjuratorio) is a small religious building from which ceremonies were conducted to bless the fields and ward off calamities caused by the weather, like storms, hail and excessive rain that could ruin the harvests. Usually these buildings are attached to a church building or a hermitage.

Contents

Exconjuratories were common in the ancient villages of the Pre-Pyrenees and the Pyrenees, especially in Aragon. [1]

Description

Exconjuratories were usually built in a symmetrical way, with large windows open to the four cardinal points. [1]

In some places the exconjuratory is part of the bell tower of a church. On the fourth floor of the main tower of the Cathedral of Murcia there are four conjuratories. Located in each corner, special ceremonies were conducted in them by priests to ward off storms that could spoil the harvest in the fields by means of the Lignum Crucis kept in the cathedral. Other towns in the Region of Murcia like Cieza, had conjuratories as well. [2] Conjuratories could also be used to ward off other non-weather-related catastrophical events afflicting the community, like epidemics and crop-damaging pests, like locusts. [3]

They fell into disuse centuries ago and many of the exconjuratories that have survived are in a ruined state. [4]

Rituals

The Tentenublo [5] (in Spanish) is an example of the prayers conducted in special occasions within the conjuratories:

Tentenublo, tente en ti, no te caigas sobre mí;
guarda el pan, guarda el vino,
guarda los campos, que están floridos
Stay, O cloud, stay put, don't fall over me;
save the bread, save the wine,
preserve the fields in blossom

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teruel</span> Municipality in Aragón, Spain

Teruel is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its harsh climate, with a wide daily variation on temperatures and its renowned jamón serrano, its pottery, its surrounding archaeological sites, rock outcrops containing some of the oldest dinosaur remains of the Iberian Peninsula, and its famous events: La Vaquilla del Ángel during the weekend closest to 10 July and "Bodas de Isabel de Segura" around the third weekend of February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barcelona Cathedral</span> Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The cathedral was constructed from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, with the principal work done in the fourteenth century. The cloister, which encloses the Well of the Geese, was completed in 1448. In the late nineteenth century, the neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that was common to Catalan churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuenca, Spain</span> Municipality in Castile–La Mancha, Spain

Cuenca is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. It is the capital of the province of Cuenca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seville Cathedral</span> Church in Seville, Spain

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcázar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies. It is one of the largest churches in the world as well as the largest Gothic church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumilla</span> Municipality in Region of Murcia, Spain

Jumilla is a town and a municipality in southeastern Spain. It is located in the north east of the Region of Murcia, close to the towns of Cieza and Yecla. According to the 2018 census, the town population was 25,547.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murcia Cathedral</span>

The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia, commonly called the Cathedral of Murcia, is a Catholic church in the city of Murcia, Spain. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cartagena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Baroque architecture</span> Architecture of the Baroque era in Spain and its former colonies

Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain, its provinces, and former colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Vall de Boí</span> Municipality in Catalonia, Spain

La Vall de Boí is a municipality and narrow, steep-sided valley in Catalonia. It lies in the Alta Ribagorça county in the Alt Pirineu region, on the edges of the Pyrenees. In 2022, it had a population of 1,090.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Cathedral of Lleida</span>

The Cathedral of St. Mary of la Seu Vella is the former cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lleida, in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, located on top of Lleida hill.

Santa Cilia is a municipality located in Jacetania, province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is 14 km from the town of Jaca between the River Aragon and the national highway N-240.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molina de Aragón</span> Place in Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Molina de Aragón is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2009 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 3,671 inhabitants. It held the record (−28.2 °C) for the lowest temperature measured by a meteorological station in Spain, and now it's on the third place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teruel Cathedral</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

Teruel Cathedral or Catedral de Santa María de Mediavilla de Teruel is a Roman Catholic church in Teruel, Aragon, Spain. Dedicated to St. Mary, it is a notable example of Mudéjar architecture. Together with other churches in the town and in the province of Zaragoza, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solana Valley</span> Natural region in Aragon, Spain

Solana Valley is a valley in the Pyrenees. It is located in Aragon, Spain. River Ara cuts across the valley from east to west and its average altitude is 850 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huesca Cathedral</span> Church in Huesca, Spain

The Holy Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Huesca, is a Roman Catholic church in Huesca, in Aragon, north-eastern Spain. It is the seat of the Bishop of Huesca. Its architecture is Gothic, and its construction began in the late 13th century and was finished in the early 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Romanesque</span>

Spanish Romanesque designates the Romanesque art developed in the Hispanic-Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula in the 11th and 12th centuries. Its stylistic features are essentially common to the European Romanesque although it developed particular characteristics in the different regions of the peninsula. There is no Romanesque art in the southern half of the peninsula because it remained under Muslim rule (Al-Andalus). The examples of Romanesque buildings in the central area of the peninsula are sparse and of the latest period, with virtually no presence south of the Ebro and the Tagus. Most Romanesque buildings can be found in the northern third of the peninsula. Romanesque art was introduced into the peninsula from east to west, so scholars have usually defined regional characteristics accordingly: the "eastern kingdoms" comprising the Pyrenean areas, Catalan Romanesque, Aragonese Romanesque and Navarrese Romanesque, and the "western kingdoms" comprising Castilian-Leonese Romanesque, Asturian Romanesque, Galician Romanesque and Portuguese Romanesque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa María (Ateca)</span> Historic site in Ateca, Spain

The Church of St Mary, iglesia de Santa María is a Roman Catholic church located in the municipality of Ateca in the province of Zaragoza, Spain. It is in the Diocese of Tarazona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguelete Tower</span> A translation of the Castilian language version of a page on the bell tower of Valencia Cathedral

The Miguelete Tower is the bell tower of the Valencia Cathedral in Valencia, Spain. It is known as El Miguelete in Castilian Spanish or Torre del Micalet in the Valencian language. Construction of the tower began in 1381 and was completed in 1429. Due to its complexity and long years of construction, it was successively directed by several master builders; the first being Andrés Juliá, from 1381. Others were José Franch (1396), Pedro Balaguer ; to Martín Llobet (1425), the last of the architects to work on the construction. Subsequently, the belfry was added (1660-1736).

References

  1. 1 2 "Aragón 1000: Los esconjuraderos del Sobrarbe". September 7, 2010.
  2. "Cieza - Región de Murcia Digital". www.regmurcia.com.
  3. "villalaco.net » Archivo » El Conjuratorio". Archived from the original on 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  4. "Esta contrucción es un esconjuradero que se halla en paraje solitario en lo alto de un cordal". www.liesa.info.
  5. "CARIÑANOS, Félix - Tentenublo". www.campaners.com.