La villa de Fuentidueña, rodeada por imponentes murallas de piedra, se estableció alrededor del siglo XI en el valle del Duero, que fue durante mucho tiempo una región fronteriza entre los territorios musulmanes y cristianos. A finales del siglo XII, mucho después de que la reconquista hubiera desplazado la frontera hacia el sur, los residentes de Fuentidueña construyeron la iglesia de San Martín junto a la gigantesca puerta meridional que regulaba la entrada de los visitantes a la villa. La iglesia, con sillares hábilmente labrados y esculturas arquitectónicas, está decorada según el estilo románico que se usaba en aquel periodo en todo el norte de España y en la mayor parte del oeste europeo. Al adoptar el estilo predominante en la cristiandad occidental, los constructores de la iglesia proclamaban las lealtades políticas, militares y religiosas de Fuentidueña ante todo aquel que atravesaba la puerta. El ábside, obtenido de España como préstamo en 1957, fue desmantelado y reconstruido en The Cloisters para crear esta galería inspirada en una capilla que se abrió al público en 1961.
Surrounded by mighty stone walls, the town of Fuentidueña was established around the eleventh century in the Duero River valley, a long-standing frontier region between Christian- and Muslim-ruled territories. In the late twelfth century, well after conquest pushed the frontier further south, Fuentidueña’s residents built the church of San Martín adjacent to the massive southern gate that regulated visitors’ entrance into the town. Featuring smoothly cut stone blocks and architectural sculptures, the apse of the church is decorated in the Romanesque style that was used throughout northern Spain, as well as most of western Europe, in this period. By embracing the prevailing style of western Christendom, the church builders conveyed Fuentidueña’s political, military, and religious allegiances to all who passed through the gate. Obtained as a loan from Spain in 1957, the apse was dismantled and reconstructed at The Cloisters to create this chapel-like gallery, which opened to the public in 1961.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Apse from San Martín at Fuentidueña
Date:ca. 1175–1200
Geography:Made in Segovia, Castile-León, Spain
Culture:Spanish
Medium:Limestone
Dimensions:Apse interior: 30 ft. 2 in. × 24 ft. 7 in. × 27 ft. 8 in. (919.5 × 749.3 × 843.3 cm) b: (lion capital): 14 1/8 × 20 1/4 × 17 1/4 in. (35.9 × 51.4 × 43.8 cm) f: (pier with acrobat): 60 × 12 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (152.4 × 31.1 × 31.8 cm)
Classification:Sculpture-Architectural
Credit Line:Exchange Loan from the Government of Spain
Accession Number:L.58.86a–f
From the church of San Martín at Fuentidueña, near Segovia
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Nancy Wu and Carol Symes discuss their preparations for a new production of The Play of Adam—the oldest medieval drama written in any language—at The Met Cloisters on December 17 and 18.
MetLiveArts Intern Karmen Wolf explores Morton Feldman's mammoth String Quartet No. 2, which the Calder Quartet will perform this fall at The Met Cloisters.
Philippe de Montebello, former Director of The Met, guides viewers through The Cloisters, pointing out Romanesque and Gothic architecture and artwork, beautiful tapestries, and the diverse species in the gardens. He outlines the history of the building and its many influences and highlights significant works of art in the collection.
The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world, encompassing the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance.
