Visigothic art
The Visigoths were a Germanic people that entered Hispania at the beginning of the 5th century, although they did not fully consolidate their condition as rulers of the Hispano-Visigothic kingdom until a century later.
The artistic manifestations of the Visigoths in the Iberian Peninsula, especially those of an architectural nature, did not fully take place until well into the 7th century
Visigothic architecture
From the 6th century, the only thing worth mentioning is the small church of Sant Cugat del Vallés, in Barcelona. Although very deteriorated, it shows a single nave plan that ends in an apse. From the following century are those of San Pedro de la Nave, San Juan de Baños, Quintanilla de las Viñas, whose traces will be repeated later in other later temples belonging to the "repopulation style" or "Mozarabic", such as, for example, the church of San Cebrián de Mazote (Valladolid), the Monastery of San Miguel de Escalada (León), the church of Santiago de Peñalba (León), in the Asturian pre-Romanesque and the Zamorano Romanesque. For the rest, at this time the paleo-Christian tradition in architecture was basically followed.
There are not many Visigothic constructions that survive, and of them practically none that could be counted among the great achievements that existed in metropolitan centers such as Toledo, Seville or Mérida. Those that have survived to this day are, in general, hermitages or temples that, due to their distance from important population centers, were saved from destruction during the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, due to the fact that in these conquered cities the reuse of materials was frequent. the Roman and Visigothic ashlars to build walls or other Muslim buildings, however they can serve to extract some of the characteristics of the Visigothic building art. They would be these:
- Preferably basilical or Greek cross plant, and sometimes a conjunction of both provisions. Very compartmentalized spaces.
- Abside rectangular to the exterior. On each side there could be an enclosure for sacristy (prosthesis and diakonikón). The chapel was separated from the rest of the temple by an iconstasy.
- Arc of horseshoe generally without key, of vertical transfer in the peraltada area, elevation of 1/3, and salmer and first dovelas of horizontal planes, would later be adopted by the Muslims.
- Use of columns and pillars as supports. Very simple corinthian ridges or inverted logconics, with thick ridges that anchor on the walls.
- Covering by cannon or arist vaults, as well as domes on the cruises.
- Zillery walls made up of large prismatic blocks coupled with rope and dry stain (more gothico), occasionally alternating with brick to Roman mode.
- Decoration based on friezes of roleos, swastika and plant and animal themes.
- Small porches at the feet or on the sides.
The following can be listed as the most representative buildings:
- Church of Saint John the Baptist (Palencia);
- Cripta de San Antolín in the Cathedral of Palencia (Palencia);
- Church of San Pedro de la Nave in San Pedro de la Nave-Almendra (Zamora);
- Church of Santa Comba of Bande (Orense);
- Chapel of Saint Xes de Francelos of Ribadavia (Orense);
- Church of San Pedro de la Mata (in ruin) Sonseca (Toledo);
- Church of Santa Maria de Melque of San Martín de Montalbán (Toledo);
- Basilica of Santa Maria de Batres. Currently Carranque (Toledo);
- Chapel of Saint Mary of Quintanilla de las Viñas (Burgos);
- Church of Saint Lucia del Trampal of Alcuéscar (Cáceres);
- Chapel of San Miguel de los Fresnos (in ruin) of Fregenal de la Sierra (Badajoz);
- Capilla de San Fructuoso de Montelius of Braga (Portugal);
- Church of São Gião of Nazareth (Portugal).
Visigothic goldsmithing
Votive crowns and crosses
One of the most striking examples of Visigothic art in Visigothic Hispania is due to the discovery of the Guarrazar treasure, it is a treasure of Visigothic goldsmiths made up of votive crowns and crosses that various kings of Toledo offered in their day as ex-voto. These votive crowns were not intended to be girded by kings but were offerings to the church to be hung on the altar. It was found between 1858 and 1861 in the archaeological site called Huerta de Guarrazar, located in the town of Guadamur, very close to Toledo. The pieces are distributed among the Cluny Museum in Paris, the Royal Palace Armory and the National Archaeological Museum, both in Madrid.
Of the crowns, the Crown of Recesvinto is the one that attracts the most attention due to its gold work and beauty, with letters hanging from it, on it you can read «Reccesvinthvs Rex offeret» («King Reccesvinto [it] offered her»).
Aquiliform fibulae
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The aquiliform fibulas (eagle-shaped) that have been discovered in necropolises such as Duratón, Madrona or Castiltierra (towns in Segovia), of great archaeological importance, are an unequivocal sign of the Visigothic presence in Spain. These brooches were used singly or in pairs, as a brooch or gold, bronze and glass safety pin to join the clothing, the work of the goldsmiths of Hispania, archaeologically there is no doubt that these brooches belonged to the Visigothic people, present in Hispania from the century V of our era. Those found in Alovera (Guadalajara) are also of great importance.
Plates and belt buckles
The plates and belt buckles found in Spain are objects with a double function, for daily and ornamental use, a symbol of rank and distinction of Visigothic women, they are large and rectangular buckles. Some pieces contain exceptional Byzantine-style lapis lazuli inlays. Those found in the Visigothic necropolis of Castiltierra (Segovia), from the 5th-7th centuries, are made of cast bronze and iron, with vitreous paste decoration following the enamel mosaic technique Honeycomb or cloisonné, is a technique that can use inlays of precious stones, glass or other materials. Historians like G.G. Koenig, see in the pieces from Spain, characteristics similar to the Danubian style of clothing of the V-VI century, according to the Professor Michel Kazanski Director of Research at the French National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), it developed north of the Black Sea around the year 400, and was later brought to the West by the Germanic peoples.
There is quite a lot of variety in the decoration, the gold and silverware pieces from the Visigothic tombs of Aguilafuente (Segovia) are noteworthy, especially those found in the tomb of a woman, believed to be from the VI, in which the buckle was accompanied by two fibulas and several characteristic jewels of the Visigothic female costume. In Visigothic necropolises, bracelets of different metals, pearl necklaces and earrings, inlaid with colored glass, are also found. All these jewels have been found in tombs in central Visigothic Hispania, such as the Madrona necropolis (Segovia) which has a fairly varied set of these ornamental elements. The Aguilafuente site consists of more than two hundred tombs.
Sculpture
Visigothic sculpture is subordinated to architecture, with round sculpture disappearing. These are bas-reliefs with the bevel technique and influences that mix the paleo-Christian with the Byzantine.
Painting
The Visigothic churches were decorated with large pictorial ensembles, today practically disappeared. The best preserved examples are found in the churches of San Miguel and Santa María de Tarrasa, of late Roman tradition, but with a more schematic and expressive style. These are the oldest paintings preserved in the Iberian Peninsula.
Another example of Visigothic mural painting preserved to this day is found in Santa María de los Arcos (La Rioja). In the Romanesque period, the most deteriorated parts were restored, especially the faces.
On the other hand, there are doubts about the dating of the illuminated manuscript known as the Pentateuch of Tours, which some specialists classify as a work of the century V of a Seville scriptoria. In fact, some solutions that will appear later in the Mozarabic blesseds are already found in this work.