Ricardo Fernández Gracia, professor of the School of Philosophy and Letters and director of the Chair of Heritage and Navarrese Art of the University of Navarra, has published the book Versos e imágenes. Gozos en Navarra and in a collection of Cascante.

The presentation, which took place in the School of Christ of Pamplona, was attended by Icíar Astiasarán, Vice President of research of the University of Navarra; Agustín Guibert, patron of the Fuentes Dutor Foundation; Santiago Rueda, of the association Vicus of Cascante; Pilar Andueza, president of the Society of programs of study Historical Society of Navarra; and the author of the work.

As Professor Fernández Gracia explained, "the project arose from the undeniable iconographic, devotional and anthropological values of a collection of gozos that Don Alfonso Fernández donated to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Romero". Thus, the monograph, sponsored by the Fuentes Dutor Foundation, with the partnership of the association Cultural Vicus and edited by the Publications Service of the University of Navarra, compiles and analyzes about a hundred gozos, "a part of the heritage inherited from our elders through whose verses many people who could neither read nor write learned the lives of saints, prodigies of Marian images, their stories and legends, in final, signs of identity of towns, villages and counties".

The content of the book has been organized in three parts: general aspects related to this subject of prints and their authors; the commentary of the Navarrese gozos found so far; and a third part dedicated to the gozos of the Cascante collection, also included in the book, in which their origin, cataloguing and commentaries are explained for a better understanding and contextualization.

Knowing your heritage in order to protect it

In her speech, Pilar Andueza, president of the Society of Historical programs of study of Navarra, emphasized the need to revalue "a fragile heritage, such as the gozos, which tell us about the popular piety of the time". "The protection of heritage requires a previous study and knowledge , and that is what we find in this book, which highlights the historical value of the documents collected and allow us to recompose the material and spiritual history of man," he added. He also affirmed that with this work, Professor Fernández Gracia "has placed his knowledge at the service of Navarre society and of the academic community".

An opinion shared by Icíar Astiasarán, Vice President of research of the University of Navarra: "The knowledge and dissemination of heritage is of vital importance and the Chair of Navarrese Heritage and Art wants to put it at the service of Navarrese society".

The work, which has a searchable digital version, is dedicated to Faustino Menéndez Pidal, director honorary member of the Royal Academy of History, who recently passed away. In addition, it has a prologue by René Payo, Full Professor of Art History and Vice President of the University of Burgos, in which he comments on the value of "the other heritages" in allusion to these pieces that coexisted with generations in their daily lives.

Professor of Art History at the University of Navarra and corresponding academic of the Royal Academy of History, Ricardo Fernández Gracia has directed, since 2009, the Chair of Heritage and Navarrese Art of the academic center. His research focuses mainly on iconography, the promotion of the arts and the historical-artistic heritage of Navarre.

DEGREE SCROLL: Verses and images. Gozos in Navarre and in a collection of Cascante.

AUTHOR: Ricardo Fernández Gracia

PAGES: 397

PUBLISHED BY: Publications Service of the University of Navarra

SPONSORED BY: Fuentes Dutor Foundation with the partnership of association Vicus

AVAILABLE EN: Digital Academic Repository of the University of Navarra (http://hdl.handle.net/10171/58523)