MONASTERY OF "VIRGEN DE LORETO"

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Monastery of Virgin of Loreto is located closed to Espartinas only 11 kms from Seville and 2 kms away from Umbrete and Villanueva del Ariscal. 

It was mainly built in XVIII century although in XVI century there was a sanctuary.

 There was a well-known family, Don Enrique de Guzman and Doña Maria Manuel who had some properties  here, in Espartinas and the legend says that because her dissipated  life once she had a really dangerous riding accident at Puente de Triana, in Seville and  as a promised,  they donated their property to the Franciscans community. 

During the second half of the XVI century this place was used as a learning centre where thirty friars studied Philosophy.

In XVII century the main chapel suffered several restorations where today is the sacristy.

At XVIII century the monastery was almost rebuilt.

After the Mendizábal disentailment of 1835 (ecclesiastical confiscation), the friars were thrown out and Friar Miguel María del Toro y Gomez stayed in charged of the building until they returned at 1881. He was responsible of keeping the monastery in good conditions apart of being of taking care of the religiosity of the people from the surrounders. Nowadays he is buried under the Main altar.

In 1953 there was a fire at the church which damaged seriously the roof and the Virgin's niche. Today is totally restored.  

ENTRANCE:

The entrance to the Convent is through an arcade built in 1727 after the new church was finished. It is building style from the Baroque Era, divided in two sections:

At the first section we can see the lintel opening between pilasters with base and Doric Capitals. This lintel is delimited at the top side with an entablature with frieze which carries an inscription referring to its year construction (1727) on its top there is a cornice.

The second section is framed by around arch showing a ceramic with the image Virgen de Loreto, volutes and pilasters decorated with Ionic Capitals at both sides.

At the main front, on both sides we can see another ceramic images now from at the right of San Francisco de Asis (Born in Assisi, Italy. Francisco' father was Pietro di Bernardone, a prosperous silk merchant and he changed his life to live as a poverty and help the needy person, he founded the Order of Franciscans) and on the left San Francisco Solano (born in Montilla, Cordoba, Spain)

He studied  Philosophy and Literature at the Monastery leaving  an unforgettable imprint because of his work as  a  ministry with the people around the area. Several years later, he travelled to South America as a missioner founding in Lima (Peru) a Convent named Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels). He died there and years later he was canonised. 

 

COMPAS:

Compás, an opened air square place just before the church. Right on the middle we can see a six sided column erected in 1757, and covered with ceramics Delf's style (XVIII century) showing  hunting scenes.  Around the borders there are cypresses which were sewed by San Francisco Solano while he was living here at the Monastery. 

 

ARCADE: 

The entrance to the church and convent is done through a square arcade covered by a barrel vault, lunettes and reinforced by archs.

The front of the building is made with facing bricks and is divided in two sections:

In the first one we can find three openings. The central one rests on four twins marble columns, its ochre and white coloured entablature has some mixtilinear decoration.

Second one is delimited by doric pilasters and we can find at the upper part a triangular gable.   

 

As well on the front we can find a grey marble sign with a mention to Friar Bolaños.

Friar Bolaños: He was born in Marchena, Spain. Distinguished  and missionary friar. He lived and studied at Loreto. He went to Paraguay and stayed there for twenty years where he set up a original method named 'REDUCCIONES'  to preach the gospel to those who had no knowledge about the christian faith.  The method consisted in showing respect between natives and conquerors.  Conquerors had to stop using violence to make the preach easier.  He also translated the Catechism to guaraní language.  

Also we can see several ceramic tiles showing Virgen de Loreto, Virgen de la Soledad (from Albaida, Spain) and the Inmaculada Concepción from Villanueva del Ariscal and San Francisco de Asis embracing the crucified Christ which is a copy of Murillo's picture actually located at Museum of Arts in Seville. 

CHURCH:

The building has latin cross plan with a single nave. It is 31 meters long by 11 meters wide. The nave is covered by a barrel-vaulted ceiling with lunettes and reinforced by transverse arches. There is a cupola above the transept.

 

Crossing the main entrance and just on top of it we can find the choir with geometric design chairs and an organ dated 1743, restored in XIX century. 

 

RETABLE OR ALTAR PIECE

At the end of the main nave, we can access to the presbytery through a four marble stairs. The presbytery has a rectangular ground plan covered by a barrel vault, lunettes and reinforced by archs and we can find in it, a Churrigueresque style main Altar, 12,5 meters high by 9 meters wide, made by sculptor Manuel García de Santiago, author of the other five small main altars located in the church. The sponsor of this main altar was Friar Francisco de San Buenaventura.

This main altar is carved in wood and covered in gold leaf and  has some mixtilinear decoration with acanthus leaves crafted heads of cherubims and is divided in base, under the base, main body with three streets and the top.

 

On the main body is located a “camarín” (a shrine or chapel set above and behind the hight altar in a church) with an image of the Virgen de Loreto, on her sides figures of San Francisco de Asis and  Santo Domingo de Guzmán and on top of them two round frames showing Santa Clara y Santa Ines.

On the very top part we can see a relief of the coronation of the virgin, god father with San Buenaventura on her left on her right Christ clinging to the cross with bishop. At the very top part we can read the Virgen Maria's logo.

 

On the sides of the altar there are two angels holding lamps dated in XVIII century.  On the left hand wall there are two gravestones from important persons from the time.

 

 

* Padre Francisco de San Buenaventura Martínez Tejada: He was born in Seville, from a noble family. He studied Theology at Monastery of Loreto which he had in custody, twice. He was bishop in Mexico and died in Guadalajara. Because of the wealthy family situation he sponsored and defrayed the Virgin’s silver jewellery, the main altar, San Jose´s statue and a silver liturgical book (where the bishop's celebrations are shown). 

SAFE KEEPING ROOM:

It has been totally rebuilt in XVIII because in 1953, June 2nd, there was a fire at Loreto's which destroyed it totally.  Nowadays there is nothing from the original room.  The author was Aurelio Gómez Millán (famous architect and author of Basilica de la Macarena in 1956). 

The room size is 4.30 mts by 3.25 mts, it has an oval shape design supported with pointed arches over doric pilasters. Decorated with pink marble, frescoes with geographical signs, and representations from Saint Francisco Solano, Saint Buenaventura, Saint Bernardino de Siena y Saint Antonio de Padua.  We can read “Tota pulchra est María”. There are some polychrome openings and the seal with the 5 crosses symbol - the Franciscan's symbol. We can also see the rotatory base with the Virgin of Loreto's statue*.

 

 

There are two access doors with side stairs and, in the walls, we can see several paintings showing one of them the image of Father Francisco de San Buenaventura y Tejada, a very good quality portrait, he has a very special meaning to this monastery. We can see Father Francisco praying to the Virgen de Loreto dressed with franciscan habit and chasuble.
We also see a stained glass window put here in 2000 to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of Virgen de Loreto canonical coronation.
Under the safe keeping room or “camarin” we can see two graves belonging to Father Miguelito and Father Manolito, thank to their work maintaining the building in the XIX century we can enyoi it today.

Virgen de Loreto (Virgin of Loreto )

There are two legends about our virgin and his apparition at these lands.
The first one, an oral one, tells that in 1384 two women, slaves in muslim area, realizing it was Holy Saturday, they began to pray till they got asleep. After that, the Virgen de Los Angeles set them free, took them away flying to leave them close to Torre de Loreto. In front of them when they woke up an image of the Holy Virgin showed up over an olive tree. The slaves told to the people the miracle. The people of Umbrete (a very close town), knowing the fact, took the image away to his church as they gave shelther to the women. But miraculously the Virgin went back to the place where she appeared for the first time so the people decided to left her there and built a new shrine for her.

The second legend is less popular and considered apocryphal although it is written on a XVIII century religious manuscript and it says that in the XV century, a family from Espartinas falling on hard times, as they were going to Sanlucar la Mayor, they decided to stop to pray on their way. They found an olive tree and several pieces of bread, when they took the food to eat them they discovered the image of the Holy Virgin and a manuscript showing that the image belonged to Santa Maria de las Huertas' church in Naples (Italy).
Both legends agree that the very first name of the Virgin was Valverde and it was changed to Loreto because of the tower that is nearby, Turris Lauretana, today known as Torre Mocha.

The image of La Santisima Virgen de Loreto ( Holy Virgin of Loreto ) is a small wooden figure with polychromy made during the second half of the XIV century. It represents the Virgin sitting on a cloud that covers an olive trunk, the Holy Child on her left knee and a silver sceptre on the right hand. It is said that that it is very similar to La Santisima Virgen del Álamo (Holy Virgin of Poplar  from Olivares), even another legend tells that this Virgin appears in the same year.
During the II Republic (1931- 1936 ) the Virgin was hidden in a house in Villanueva del Ariscal.

SIDE ALTARPIECES

Altarpiece of San Diego de Alcalá
On the right side we can see the most valuable image, made at the end of XVI century. The sculpture is 125 cms height and it shows San Diego de Alcalá embracing the cross, dressed in franciscan habits and showing a melancholy expression.
This saint was born in San Nicolas del Puerto (Seville) but his nickname “de Alcalá “  is because he died in this place.

It is situated in an polychrome painting wooden altapiece with gold leaf and columns simulating marble. On the upper side we can see the image of San Cristobal with the Infant Jesus (Saint Christopher) patron saint of drivers and travellers. We also see two latticework balconies for the monks to attend mass without going down to the church.

Close to it in the same side we also see a door to the cistern cloister, decorated as an altarpiece, neoclassic style too. The door is made on oak wood and decorated with frames.

Pieta ( Piedad )
Made at the end of XVIII century, neoclassic style and heavy polychromed, designed by Manuel Garcia de Santiago as the others retablos or altarpieces. Close to the cistern cloister door.

Virgen de Guadalupe (Virgin of Guadalupe )
Painting with the typical image of Mexican Virgen de Guadalupe, carried here by a monk returning from the missions in America in 1737 . It's signed by Cornero

Infant Jesus alcove
In this alcove we can find an Infant Jesus, gold crowned and richly dressed, situated on the right side called the eplistle side.

Altarpiece of San Francisco de Asis (Saint Francis of Assisi )
On the left side, the gospel side, we find an altarpiece done in XVIII century , carved in wood, with some gold leaf parts and others imitating jasper. An alcove in the middle of two columns contains the image of San Francisco de Asis done in 1690 and it's 125 cms  height. He holds a silver crucifix on his hand. In the upper part we find another crucifix and surrounding the altar, several paintings.
San Francisco de Asis was a whealthy trader son from this italian city but he dedided to dedicated to the poors and he passed his entire life helping the poorest people.

Altarpiece of San José (Saint Joseph)
Done in the XVIII century probably by Pedro Duque Cornejo and donated to the monastery by father Francisco de San Buenaventura who lived some years here. There is a permanent Nativity on the lower part. 

Altarpiece of San Antonio de Padua (Saint Anthony of Pádua)
In Baroque style we can see an image of San Antonio with Infant Jesus on his arms between Santa Clara (Saint Claire of Assisi) and San Bernardino de Siena ( Saint Bernardine of Siena ).

On the upper part we can see a relief showing a San Antonio's miracle in which he put an amputated leg back. The boy of this scene have cut his own leg off because he had kicked his father and he followed the words of San Antonio that says that a man that kicks his father deserves his leg cut off. He is the patron saint of people who look for lost things and love.

Paintings
There are several paintings on the walls of this church.
Close to the main altar piece on the upper side we can see the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, done during the XVIII century, similar to the style painter Murillo used, very simple and natural with soft colours. We find in the middle of the scene the Virgin raising up on a cloud with the Apostles looking at Her.

On the other side we can see a painting entitled the Friars' vision of Rivotorto, XVIII century too. It tells us an episode in San Francisco's life in which he appears driving a four horse cart and two groups of friars dressed in blue chasuble looking at Him.

Joined to San Francisco altarpiece we can find paintings of San Bernardino de Siena, Santa Isabel de Portugal, Santa Teresa de Jesus an Infant Jesús.


Traducción a cargo de los alumnos-trabajadores: María Asunción González Díaz y D. Juán José Bermejo Dorado.