Art Mozarab

Art Mozarab is the ground continuation of Islam of the Art Visigoth.

The Mozarabs were of culture Islamique, but some spoke a Romance Langue, the aljamía or Mozarabe, dialect antiquated of the Spain transcribes in Arab characters. Their liturgy was known as in Arabic.

Art Mozarab testified to this mixture, with an Islamic style but of the topics which remained Christian. The influences of the art of the Moslems felt particularly in the use of the vegetable interlacings, cut in the Stuc to decorate an architecture, for example.

The Communities of Mozarabs maintained for the practice of their religious rites some preceding churches wisigothes with the Moslem occupation, and seldom built news. Although there exists a certain religious tolerance, the authorizations were very limited to raise new churches. In any case, those were raised in rural environment or the urban suburbs, and always of modest quality.

When the living conditions in Moslem Spain were made less bearable, whereas the Christian kingdoms of the north of the peninsula started a territorial expansion, they appealed has populations to repopulate the conquered grounds, some of these Mozarabs chose to emigrate towards the territories that one offered to them. Their primitive culture hispano-wisigothe had been subject to Moslem influences and one can suppose that they brought to the recent Christian kingdoms innovating elements in all the fields. It does not seem nevertheless reasonable to allot to them all the artistic initiative concluded in the kingdoms of north during Xe century. In conclusion the first phase of the artistic process which is generally included/understood in the vast concept of the Art Préroman and which corresponds with the art hispano-Visigoth. One starts in Spain Christian another current stylistic, heir in much to aspects to precedent, which is known like Art asturien and which is identified with the artistic achievements which occurred during IXe century in the “focuses of resistance”, concretely in the territories which formed the kingdom of the Asturies. The artistic activity, in general, and architectonic was not reduced, especially, at this zone nor at this century, but included/understood all peninsular north and continued during the next century.

The displacement of the border to the basin of the Duero promoted the construction of new churches, works in which all the artistic capacity available concentrated, adapting to the needs for repopulation. The powerful septentrional kingdoms were under conditions of approaching this task, without depending on the hypothetical contributions of the integrated Mozarabs, of this fact it is not advisable to think that all religious constructions and all the artistic achievements are due mainly to these rural immigrants who, in addition, arrived in precariousness of means and resources. It does not appear that they were under conditions of concluding of great artistic achievements their places of origin.

After the publication in 1897 of the work documented in four volumes “ Historia of los mozárabes of España ” of Francisco Javier Simonet, the professor and enquiring Manuel Gómez Moreno published in 1917 a monograph on the churches Mozarabs ( Las iglesias mozárabes ). It is in these works that one allots the character Mozarab to the churches built in the Christian territories since the end of IXe century until the beginning of XIe, and where one institutes the term “Mozarab” to indicate this form of architecture and all art in connection with it. The denomination had success and it is that which was commonly used, although without much rigor.

The mozarabism of the churches that Manuel Gómez Moreno treats in its book was called into question by modern historiography. It had already been called into question by Jose Camón Aznar, in its book “ Arquitectura española LED siglo X ” he was opposed already against such an interpretation, and after him several researcher whose Isidro Bango Torviso were opposed to this denomination, so much so that the current trend is directed towards the abandonment of the denomination of “Art Mozarab” and its substitution by that of Art of repopulation to refer to this period.

Thus architecture Mozarab would be restricted with his strict definition, i.e., that which was carried out in the long term by the Mozarabs in Moslem Spain.

Two examples are known of this architecture:

the church of Bobastro, rupestral church which is with the locality of Mesas de Villaverde, in the commune of Ardales, province of Malaga, of which there remain only some ruins.
the church of Santa María de Melque, located close to Puebla de Montalbán (Tolède). With regard to this church there exists a doubt in its stylistic filiation, it has characteristics wisigothes with others properly Mozarabs, as for the date of foundation it is not clearly defined.

As for those of San Miguel de Escalada, Peñalba of Santiago, Santo Tomás of mow Ollas to Ponferrada have recognizes a Mozarabs influence. They are, and it is certainly not a chance, on the Camino frances. It is also necessary to note the church of Santa Maria de Lebeña on the Chemin of North or the Coast, and the Monastère of San Juan of Peña, on the Camino aragones.

The influence is sensitive in the minor arts and the painting, especially known by illuminations of manuscripts, as the Biblia Hispalense and the Biblia Complutense testify some, of Xe century.

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